


Customer of Love

by EtoilesJaunes



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged up characters, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Femdom, For reasons, Painful Oblivious-ness, Sub!adrien, Triggering content will be mentioned at the beginning of chapters!, Two year age gap, domme!Marinette, it's not a ML fic without that lbr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-05-14 18:18:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14774741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtoilesJaunes/pseuds/EtoilesJaunes
Summary: She accidentally finds a way to pay for University. He accidentally finds her. They're both happy...Right?When they meet on the other side of the masks, they have their reservations. Will their friends be able to convince them that they deserve the happiness that the other obviously brings?





	1. Hook

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! In case you don't read all the tags (like me, no hate I promise), I'll be notifying y'all about things like triggering content or, when things get a little smutty, what you can expect in the chapter. Those will be right up here in the notes :)
> 
> Also, there's a two year age gap between the guys & gals. Mostly for Adrien and Marinette's interactions, and then Alya, Nino, & Chloé are just along for the ride.

“I still don’t get what I’m doing here,” said a man in a light blue mask outlined with red.

“Nino, you’re my friend,” replied the one in a black cat mask.

“Bro, if I’m at one of these parties, it’s because _my_ tracks are flowing through the speakers. I don’t know how to be all…”

“All…?”

“You know,” Nino sighed before straightening up and putting on a ridiculous expression. “How do you do? Probably better than me; my fifth yacht was finished yesterday and they painted it off-white instead of ivory! The nerve!”

Adrien couldn’t help it as laughter bubbled up. He threw a hand on his best friend’s shoulder for support as Nino continued his charade. “Nino,” he began when he could. “That’s the _point_ of a masquerade. No one knows who you are. You don’t have to fit in, it won’t make a difference anyway.”

Nino rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. I’ve been to these before, I told you. There’s a lot you missed while you were away. There’s just a reason I’m always behind the scenes.”

“Well, thank you for braving the floor with me tonight. I missed you in Milan.”

“I missed you too, man. Now don’t go getting all emotional on me. We might be in masks but that doesn’t mean I wanna be crying all over this party.”

Adrien chuckled and took a sip of his wine.

Ah, Paris. He’d visited while was studying abroad, of course, but it was never more than a weekend. Even over breaks, his father had him scheduled for longer shoots wherever he was, taking advantage of his location in New York.

Even after he’d graduated back in December, his father decided he should make a debut in acting and had tacked on a guest appearance in some reality television show that kept him there for another two months.

But he was home now. Not ‘home’ as in the Agreste mansion; that hadn’t felt like home for _years_ before he left. No, Paris as a whole was home for him. The music, the people, the language… The things you miss when you leave.

Speaking of which, he made a mental note to contact a real estate agent. He needed his own place, somewhere out of the constant surveillance of his father.

“Adrikins!”

His “rich boy brooding,” as Nino would call it, was cut short by an all-too-familiar squeal. Adrien didn’t even have time to turn his head to face this new (yet old) threat before he was all but tackled by her.

“Hey, Chloé,” Adrien responded as the blonde girl enthusiastically left a kiss on his cheek.

“Dude, how did you even _find_ him in this getup?” Nino asked.

Chloé made a face under her own bee-themed mask as she regarded Nino. “I’d recognize these eyes anywhere.”

“He’s wearing neon green sclera lenses.”

The girl impatiently tossed her hair over her shoulder. “And when you’ve been friends with Adrien since you were two and four, you can come up and tell me how hard it is to see past a piece of plastic.” She looked Nino up and down. “What are you even supposed to be?”

Nino stuttered for a few seconds before indignantly responding, “I’m an _artist,_ you don’t have to understand it.”

“...Right. Anyway, Adrikins, it’s so good to see you again! I have to go mingle with other people now, since Daddy’s leaving this one to me, but we _have_ to grab dinner sometime this week. We have four years of catching up to do, after all.”

“Chloé, I see you every time I come back.”

“And while that’s a _great_ start, do you really think meeting up _once_ is enough to tell you everything that’s been going on in my life? Because if you do, think again. Dinner. I’ll text you.”

And just like that, she was gone with a wave.

“That was… Wow.”

Adrien sighed. “That’s Chloé.”

“I’m just glad she was two years down from us in _lycée_. Can you imagine what being in the same class as her would have been like?”

“I don’t think I want to. She’s cool and all, but only in limited doses.” He paused for a moment. “Maybe she’s changed since I’ve been gone. I guess I’ll find out sooner or later.”

He scanned the crowd again.

“Speaking of things that have changed, what’s the deal with this masquerade party? You said you’ve been to a few?”

Nino shrugged. “Probably Chloé’s doing. She threw an end of the year thing when she got done with _lycée._ She had to invite all her classmates, but she got all of her society friends there, too. It was a masquerade thing, too. Since then, the mayor has been hosting them like every two or three months. I was the DJ at the first one, and a few since then. It’s where I met Alya, actually. Pretty good money.” He took a sip of his own drink, clearly having nothing more to say on the topic.

“Interesting. I’ll have to ask her about that.”

Nino didn’t hear his reply, eyes focused somewhere across the room. “Oh, God, _she’s_ here.”

“What?” Adrien tried to follow his line of sight, but couldn’t tell who he was looking at. “Who?”

“ _Ladybug,_ ” Nino replied.

Adrien found her, then. A petite girl with blue-black hair was facing away from them, talking with an older gentleman. Her dress was red with black at the waist and hem, but that was about all Adrien could distinguish from the back of it. As they watched, she made a shooing motion with her hand and the man walked off, a disgruntled expression on his face.

“Ladybug? What’s so bad about her?”

Nino sighed. “Trust me, dude, you do _not_ want to get mixed up with what she’s got going on. _I’m_ not even supposed to know, but sometimes you rich people seem to forget the help have ears.”

Ladybug turned, then, as if she was looking for someone. Her eyes swept past the pair without a second thought, but Adrien found himself captivated. Her mask and lips matched the shade of the dress _exactly_ , and beneath the mask…

“Those are the most stunning eyes I have ever seen.”

Nino snorted. “Sure. Her eyes. _That’s_ what you notice about her.”

Adrien’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s your deal with her?”

He simply shook his head. “I’m telling you this as your best friend, Adrien. Don’t talk to her.”

Two extra strong drinks later, Adrien brought it up again.

“Dude, I’m not drunk. I’m not going to tell you about her. Just take my word on this. Don’t talk to her, and _definitely_ don’t mention the word ‘miraculous’ to her.”

Miraculous? Hm. Nino didn’t appear to notice that he let anything slip.

“Right,” Adrien said. “I think I’m going to go mingle. Do you want to come?”

Nino made a face. “I think I’ll stay here by the bar.”

Adrien shrugged. “Whatever works for you.”

He did spend about fifteen minutes properly mingling, but watching Ladybug the whole time. No one else came up to her in that time, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. She didn’t try and approach anyone, either. She simply stood, scrolling through her phone, like she was waiting for something… Or someone?

Steeling his nerves, Adrien walked up to her.

“Enjoying the party?”

She looked up at him, and the eye contact alone let Adrien know he was in trouble. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” she said in place of an answer.

“I could say the same.”

Her face moved behind her mask, and Adrien knew she was raising an eyebrow. “The difference being, _chaton,_ that I’ve been to almost all of the Mayor’s masquerades before, and I haven't seen you.”

Adrien chuckled. “Well, you caught me. I’ve been studying abroad for a few years.” He cast around for another topic, not sure if he was ready to know what Nino was talking about yet. “You look about my age. Are you in University?”

“Second year,” she replied before taking a sip of her wine.

So she wasn’t too interested in holding a conversation, it seemed. Well, he’d have to figure out some way to work the word into conversation so he didn’t look like an idiot if Nino gave him some weird information.

“What are you studying?”

“Fashion design.”

“Oh.” Adrien pulled a face.

“Do you have something against fashion?” She sounded slightly offended now, but at least she was talking.

“No, no, I was just… Raised in it, I guess,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve been over-exposed to it, and not in the way that would get me excited about it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m finding other things I enjoy now that I can,” he said. He hadn’t been able to look away from her before, but now he made sure he watched what he could see of her face carefully. “...But it would take something _miraculous_ for my father to let me go completely.”

Ladybug’s expression didn’t change at first, but then she blinked and a small smile appeared on her lips. She set her half-empty wine glass on the tray of a passing waiter. “So that’s what you’re here for.” She looked him up and down, but it seemed to be more of an appraisal than anything else. “You look a little young to be a client. Are you sure you can afford me?”

Well. That certainly brought up more questions than answers. “I’m not just some trust fund baby, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Ladybug shrugged. “If you say so.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a black business card. It had only the red outline of a ladybug and a phone number in white on it. “Text me. We can set up an appointment.”

“An appointment?”

Now it was her turn to be confused. “What? Did you think I would just let myself be seen leaving the party with you?”

“Ah- I- no, of course not,” Adrien stammered. “I just... Okay, confession time, my friend… sent me over here. He didn’t say anything about you, or...”

Understanding smoothed her features. “Aw, kitty doesn’t know what he’s getting into.” She tapped the card. “Appointment. I’ll walk you through what I do. I won’t even charge you for that. I know you’ll be back.”

“A-All right,” Adrien said. “Is that… All?” He didn’t know why he found himself almost asking permission to leave, but it brought a smile to her face.

“I’ll see you later, _chaton_ ,” she said with a wink, clearly dismissing him.

When the party was over and Adrien and Nino stood outside waiting for the car, Adrien pulled out the card again to look at it.

“What is that?” Nino questioned, sounding a bit more coherent.

“Oh, nothing,” Adrien said, shoving it back into his pocket, but Nino grabbed it before it made it there.

“...Dude. I told you not to talk to her.”

Adrien shrugged. “It’s not like you were gonna tell me anything.”

Nino rolled his eyes. “Whatever happens now, you can’t blame me.” At the same time, he pulled out his phone.

Nino: Hey, your friend Marinette is still single, right?  
Alya: ...Yea, why?  
Nino: I have a friend who needs to get off the market. Quick. Do you think she’d be up for a double date?  
Alya: I can ask, but I don’t think she’s really into the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing. Something about being too busy. Believe me, I’ve tried.  
Nino: I just need him distracted from someone he may or may not be about to pursue.  
Nino: He doesn’t listen to my sage advice *eyeroll*  
Alya: Babe, you’re preaching to the choir.  
Alya: I’ll ask.

Unknown: Good evening :3   
Ladybug: Can I assume from that emoticon that this is the cutie with the cat mask from tonight?  
Unknown: The very same.  
Ladybug: That was fast. Someone’s eager ;)  
Chat Noir: Oh, you know, curiosity and cats and all that.  
Ladybug: I’ll have to be sure to satisfy you enough to bring you back, then. Are you free this Saturday?

Alya: Hey, girl! I know it’s late, but do you have plans on Thursday?  
Mari: -.- You know I have to work on commissions. I leave Friday open specifically for you!  
Alya: Alright. Fine. Don’t make any plans for Friday, then. Nino has a friend who wants to meet you.  
Mari: Alya…  
Alya: Please? Just meet him. I don’t exactly like you having to third-wheel me and Nino all the time.  
Alya: This could be good for you!  
Mari: I’ll meet him if you promise not to bother me about him after that.  
Alya: Deal.


	2. Line

Alya: Why are you at the doctor’s? You didn’t tell me you were feeling sick!  
Marinette: How did you…

You have stopped sharing your location with Alya.

Marinette: Stop turning that on!   
Alya: You didn’t answer my question.   
Marinette: Just like standard check-up stuff. Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry.   
Alya: Didn’t you have one of those two months ago?

Marinette sighed. She hated lying to her friend, but it was necessary. She shifted in the uncomfortable plastic chair as she thought of an excuse.

Marinette: One of the blood tests came back weird. They had to get another one and I’m getting the results today. Don’t worry about me <3  
Alya: Why didn’t you tell me?   
Marinette: I know what a worrier you are. I didn’t want to say anything if there wasn’t a cause for concern.   
Alya: Okay…  
Alya: Anyway. Main reason I was texting, before I got sidetracked.   
Alya: I’m coming over tomorrow to help you get ready. Make sure you’ve got something sexy to wear underneath ;)   
Marinette: Who said anything about sleeping with him? I just promised to meet him.   
Alya: You say that, but Nino just sent me some pics of him… You might be singing a different tune come tomorrow night.   
Marinette: I’m rolling my eyes so hard rn   
Alya: Good thing you’re already at the doctors.   
Marinette: Oh, look, they’re calling me, I have to go.   
Alya: I’ll bring the condoms, don’t worry!

Marinette snorted as she read the text, but pocketed the phone as she stood up and walked towards the woman in a white coat with a clipboard. It was routine by now, but entirely necessary.

Not that the tests ever found anything; she was _religious_ about using protection, even with clients she’d been seeing for over a year and swore up and down they only had contact with her and their wives. It only took one, after all, to get a bad rep.

She had a spotless record, though, and intended to keep it. Bi-weekly testings were the price she paid, and she didn’t mind at all. After all, she was paid a lot more than those tests cost.

 

* * *

 

 

“Same time, next week?”

Marinette fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was lingering in the doorway, stalling before he left. He always did. She kept a reserved smile on her face, though.

“I’ll be here, _chéri,_ just like always.” She blew a kiss at the man. “Bye, now.”

She saw his face fall briefly beneath his mask, but then he put on what she assumed his ‘politician face’ was. He nodded and turned to leave. She shut the door behind him and secured the deadbolt before turning to survey her apartment with a sigh.

Briefly, she wondered if she should just leave it all here until Saturday morning. She didn’t have any appointments on Friday and wouldn’t be expecting anyone until one on Saturday. _No,_ she thought, _better to get it over with now._

She didn’t know what Alya had planned for tomorrow night, but it was sure to be something draining. She didn’t want the threat of resetting her apartment to perfection looming over her the entire night.

Marinette stepped out of her heels, leaving them by the door, and removed her mask. She set it on the table as she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face.

Half an hour later, the sheets were in the washing machine, a fresh set already on the bed, all the toys that had been brought out were back behind the paintings, and she was standing in her closet, wearing an oversized t-shirt. Alya wanted something sexy? Marinette would be sure to give her no room to argue that she was holding back.

 

* * *

 

 

Alya: Hey girl, my boss kept me a bit longer, I’ll be there in twenty!  
Mari: Oh, no… Guess you’re going to miss my sexy lingerie…   
Alya: Wait you’re really doing that? I was kidding!   
Mari: winkemoji.jpg   
Alya: ….   
Alya: Girl.  
Alya: I’m saying this for your own good   
Alya: IF YOU DON’T LET NINO’S SEXY FRIEND SEE THAT I WILL PERSONALLY NEVER FORGIVE YOU   
Mari: *gasp* are you encouraging me to sleep with him the very first night we meet?   
Alya: y e s girl for both of your sakes!!!   
Alya: withholding that amount of sexy from a man is a criminal offense in the Court of Alya   
Alya: This will be good for you!   
Mari: ...We’ll see what happens.   
Alya: I’m almost here!   
Mari - unsent: Come on in, I left it unl

“Marinette, you goddess of sexy lingerie!”

“I’m changing into granny panties if you’re going to keep bringing it up like that.”

“Okay, fine, I’ll stop. For now. But you’re getting laid tonight, if I can help it.”

“And is this dress going to help me achieve your goal?” Marinette asked, twirling for Alya’s inspection.

Alya laughed. “That poor boy isn’t gonna know what hit him.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Nino! Over here!”

Marinette didn’t know how Alya’s boyfriend heard her over the loud music, but he did. Maybe it was two and a half years of calibration that did the trick.

Whatever.

In spite of herself, Marinette found that she was eagerly anticipating the arrival of Nino and his (supposedly) cute (sexy?) friend. With all the commotion of the people in the club, though, she couldn’t tell which person headed their way was him.

Eventually (it was about ten seconds later), Nino made his way over to the booth that the girls had claimed.

“Evening, ladies. May I introduce my main bro, my number one — ” A slightly raised eyebrow from Alya had him clearing his throat. “ — My number one _man,_ Adrien.”

Marinette and Alya looked to the person in question, who had raised his hand in greeting. “Hey! Nice to meet you! You must be Alya?” He asked, extending a hand towards her. “I’ve heard a _lot_ about you. Uh… All good things, don’t worry!”

Alya returned the handshake, and Marinette didn’t need to be on the receiving end of it to know just how forceful it was. “Like Nino could say a bad thing about me,” she teased with a wink.

Adrien gave a nervous chuckle before turning his attention to Marinette. “And you are…?”

Marinette extended her own hand, as he seemed to be recently made too nervous to do so. “Resident third wheel for these two. Where have you been, Mr. Best Friend?”

Adrien shook her hand, seeming relieved that it was a normal handshake. “All over. Milan, Tokyo, London, New York… Studying abroad.”

“Interesting. Fashion?”

He gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Am I that obvious?”

Marinette smirked. “Well, there’s the locations and your designer clothes, but… I’d know the son of my favorite designer anywhere.” She turned back to Alya. “Now that the boys are here, shall we go get some drinks for the table?”

As soon as they were out of earshot, they turned to one another and spoke at the same time.

“I’m not sleeping with him.”

“You are _so_ sleeping with him.”

“Alya!” Marinette gave her friend a playful smack. “That’s Adrien _Agreste._ I can’t sleep with the son of the man I might work for one day!”

“I thought tonight was about not making excuses. You like him, he _obviously_ likes you — ”

“We’ve said three sentences to each other.”

“It’s about what you didn’t say!” Alya gave her friend a nudge and a playful look. “You have chemistry.”

Marinette rolled her eyes as they got to the bar. “I’ll show you how much chemistry we _don’t_ have.”

Back at the booth, the guys were having a conversation with just as much exasperation.

“Nino. You didn’t say the girls were coming.”

“Oh, come on, Adrien. It’s not like you care about that.”

“Don’t think I don’t know what this is about.”

Nino feigned innocence. “And what is that, exactly?”

“The fact that you’re worried that I’m going to get in over my head with Ladybug. Nino, I don’t even know what there _is_ to get in over my head in.”

Nino rubbed his forehead, then let his hand trail down his face. “Making guys — well, _and_ girls, I don’t think she discriminates — making _people_ get in over their heads is kind of her thing. I’m going to go out on a very sturdy limb here and ask if you’re going to meet with her?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow afternoon,” Adrien confirmed, inspecting his nails.

Nino sighed. “Then you’ll know by tomorrow evening. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but you’re about to dive right into the deep end of a pool. I’m trying to offer you a life jacket.”

“Look,” the blond said, rolling his eyes. “She might not even be into me, but if I _try_ with this girl, will you stop bugging me?”

“I know you well enough to know that if she’s not into you, you’re not really trying. You know the effect you have on the chicks.”

“I don’t know about that. She didn’t even tell me her name.”

Nino chuckled. “Well, Alya said she doesn’t really ‘do’ relationships. She might be a tough one to crack.”

Adrien threw his hands into the air. “Then what’s the point of you trying to set me up with her?”

“I know how much you like a challenge,” Nino replied coolly. “It’ll be a refreshing change from all the women who throw themselves at your feet when you pass by, but I have faith in you.”

“That’s _highly_ exagge—”

“Who’s ready for some shots?!” Alya sang, cutting him off and setting the tray down as she and Marinette arrived at the table.

“Tequila?” Adrien raised an eyebrow.

“I’m looking forward to a _very_ exciting night. For _all_ of us,” Alya responded with a pointed look at Marinette. The girls slid in next to the boys: Alya next to her boyfriend, and Marinette took the seat next to Adrien.

His green eyes reminded her a bit of the guy who’d approached her at the masquerade, the one she’d dubbed Chat Noir. She didn’t even know if his eyes were _actually_ green or not, but that just made it easier for her. Total anonymity.

Speaking of which, she decided now would probably be a better time to text her kitty than, say, later tonight, when she might not be as coherent. Or tomorrow morning, when she’d want to call the whole thing off.

“No. Nuh-uh. No work phone at the club,” Alya said as Marinette switched on said phone.

“Alya. I’ve got a fitting tomorrow with a _very_ important customer. If I don’t confirm it, she’s going to throw a fit.” Marinette opened the texting app and typed out a quick message.

Ladybug: Hey, kitty. You’re still planning on coming tomorrow, right?

Next to her, Adrien pulled out his phone.

“You, too?” Nino asked.

“Just going over tomorrow’s schedule. I want to make sure I don’t have anything important in the morning that popped up.” Nino didn’t look convinced. “Do you not remember how my father gets?”

“Right. Fine.”

Chat Noir: Wouldn’t miss it for the world, my lady.

Alya smirked at the two before leaning over to her boyfriend. “Both working at the club? They’re practically made for each other.” Nino nodded in agreement.

Ladybug: I’m no one’s lady but my own. But maybe you’d like to be my kitty?

“Since when does checking your schedule make you smile?”

Chat Noir: I wouldn’t disagree with that ;3

“Since I got a clear morning tomorrow.”

Ladybug: Don’t forget your mask.

Adrien stowed his phone back in his pocket. He didn’t want to make his friend too suspicious.

“Alright, girl, time’s up. It doesn’t take two minutes to confirm an appointment.”

“Yes, _maman,”_ Marinette laughed, but dropped her phone back in her purse.

Alya all but pressed shots into their hands, impatient as always. “Bottoms up!”

Adrien turned to Marinette after they had downed their shots, turning on the ‘sexy model’ charm that all his photographers loved. Nino wanted him to try? He would, just to prove a point. “So, I never did get your name.”

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze. Maybe Alya had a point… Maybe in another life. She had to remind herself of all the reasons why she couldn’t even _start_ down that road. Instead, she called on the confidence that she usually only had with the mask on.

“No, you didn’t.” She smiled sweetly, setting another shot in front of him as she took one for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, everyone's met now. Plot and stuff will be getting started soon ;)


	3. Sinker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look, we have chapter titles now :D 
> 
> I feel like I should say that the title of this fic comes from the song 'You Dare' by Elephanz. Kinda forgot to mention that, sorry. Y'all should def check them out tho.

Marinette groaned as her alarm went off. “Five more minutes,” she mumbled to no one in particular, but the blaring continued to gradually get louder. It did nothing for her headache. After another twenty seconds, she got (read: fell) out of bed and stumbled across the room, blindly turning her alarm off.

As much as she wanted to go back to her bed, she knew she had to start her day. It was already nine thirty, and she had to be ready for her meeting at one. With a sigh, she changed out of her sleep shirt and into something more acceptable to be seen in outside the confines of her apartment. She was only interrupted briefly — _damn_ the difference between the ‘off’ and ‘snooze’ buttons — before she was making her way down the stairs and into the streets.

Just before ten, she stopped in her favorite coffee shop for a _café crème_ and a scone. The pastries weren’t as good as her parents’ (not that she was biased or anything) but the atmosphere was warm and inviting and exactly what she needed before meeting with a client. Sometimes after, too.

After all, reducing members of Paris’ elite to a shaking mess on a near-nightly basis wasn’t something that came naturally to her. But she was good — one of the best — when she put her mind to it, and it showed in the amount she had in her savings. At first, she’d just done it to try and pay her way through University, but her client list had expanded to the point where she’d upped her rates and still kept a full schedule. At this rate, she’d be able to get her own boutique when she graduated… Not that she’d forego an internship at a major fashion house, either. It was just good to have options.

Of course, there was a part of her that knew she wasn’t just doing it for the money, not anymore. That part of her had grown to love the feeling of empowerment, seeing some of the most powerful men in the city hand the reins to her, a baker’s daughter, over and over again. Not that she knew who any of them were, of course. That was part of her appeal; they had the security that she wouldn’t try and blackmail them with scandalous photos. Her best friend _was_ a journalist, after all. But they didn’t know that. Neither did Alya, for that matter.

Marinette pulled out her work phone, sighing in relief at the lack of notifications. Alya had been curious about it at first, but was appeased with talk of keeping track of her customers’ measurements and photos of patterns and the like. And she _did_ do clothing commissions, too. Just not when she told Alya she did. And certainly not the amount that Alya was under the impression she was doing

She put that phone back in her purse and pulled out her personal one. She had time to scroll through social media as she sipped her _café crème_ and intended to do just that when two notifications from her messages caught her eye.

Alya: I’m not sorry.

Unknown: Good morning, princess ;)

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows and opened the one from the unknown number.

Mari: Come again?

She didn’t have to wait long for a response, despite the fact that it had been sent almost an hour earlier.

Unknown: I was delighted to find out that, though our mutual acquaintances were roped into your little game of refusing to tell me your name, they had no such reservations against giving me your number.   
Mari: ...Adrien?  
Unknown: See how unfair this is?  
Mari: Hm. You make a fair point.  
Mari: I’ll make you a deal.  
Adrien: Do tell. *steeples fingers*  
Mari: I’ll give you a letter of my name every time you manage to impress me. Not in order, of course.  
Adrien: And what’s to stop me from just looking you up on social media? I’m sure Alya’s tagged you in some posts. Or I could look you up via this phone number…   
Mari: That would be too easy.  
Adrien: Why would that matter?  
Mari: Because I’m not just throwing myself at your feet like your 7.8 million fangirls. You wouldn’t be talking to me if you didn’t like the change.

 _Careful, Mari, your Ladybug is showing,_ she chided herself.

Adrien: Awfully presumptuous of you, assuming that I like you.  
Mari: Do you always text like a pretentious ass?  
Adrien: Only when texting a princess like yourself. I can only hope I’m communicating at your level.  
Mari: Princess?  
Adrien: Well, I have to have something to call you. What would you prefer? ‘Hey, you, how was your morning?’ ‘Would you want to grab coffee sometime, Mlle Blue Eyes?’  
Mari: ...I guess Princess will do. I’ll even give you an R for that one.  
Adrien: °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  
Mari: Don’t make me take it back.  
Adrien: If I guess your name before you give me all the letters, would you tell me if I’m right?  
Mari: Depends on what kind of mood I’m in~  
Mari: I’ve gotta go get ready for a meeting now. Text you later?  
Adrien: Sure thing, princess~

Marinette sighed and brought her empty cup up to the counter. Adrien seemed like he would be a fun guy. Sweet and caring and funny and all that. She couldn’t let herself get attached, though, and she _knew_ how easy that would be. Maybe that was why she was planning on keeping herself at an arm’s distance from him. If he didn’t get attached, either, then she wouldn’t be entirely to blame for the fact that she couldn’t have a relationship.

She wouldn’t admit the reason for the other side of it. The reason why she was talking with him. Flirting, even, when she knew she couldn’t have him. The truth was that she wanted someone to be attracted to her. Not Ladybug. Marinette. She wanted someone to look at her face, and for her to look at theirs, and for them to accept all her flaws and unguarded moments. Ladybug had to be perfect all the time.

It was selfish, she knew that, to not be up-front with Adrien about that… But last night, when he went along with her little game, when he kept smiling at her… It had been too long since that had happened, and again, she wouldn’t admit it, but she wanted more.

It took her the now-automatic metro trip and the short walk from there to her other apartment — affectionately dubbed her “office” in her mind — to clear those thoughts from her head. The short term didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to give up her dreams (or the means to achieve them, for that matter) for the sake of a little fun now. It was time to work.

Fifteen minutes before Chat was supposed to come — to _show up,_ that is — Marinette was mostly ready. Her makeup was done to perfection, her apartment was immaculate, and she was wearing one of her favorite black corsets under her simple-yet-elegant red tea-length dress. She didn’t know what to expect from him, but it was important to be prepared. Her red nails tapped the counter next to where she’d set her mask as she waited for the coffee maker to start.

Her mind wandered to Chat Noir. She wondered what he’d want from her. Most of the time, she did her best not to try and analyze a client before they sat down and had ‘the conversation,’ but Chat intrigued her. He was significantly younger than her regulars. Not that she hadn’t had any that young before, but they didn’t typically stick around. She idly hoped he would, in spite of herself. It would be nice to have someone close to her own age.

He seemed to have tried to appear confident around her, but that had crumbled as soon as he’d been forced to admit that he had no idea who she was. He was either new to the social scene or had been away for a while. She didn’t spend time speculating about that. The less she guessed about his personal life, the better.

He _would_ want something from her; that much she _did_ know. It wasn’t just arrogance speaking. It was the way he’d known that she was in control of their first conversation, leaving when she dismissed him. The way he’d accepted the fact that she wanted him to be hers, without her being his. The way that, in their brief texts, he’d already come across as goofy and maybe even a bit childish. He would definitely be in need of some nurturing.

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the clock on the oven. _Right on time._ The smell of coffee filled the air as she slipped on her mask and walked to the door. She opened it to reveal Chat, clip-in cat ears and acid green contacts included. He looked a bit uncertain, a bit nervous, and a gentle smile graced her lips. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel unsafe.

 _“Bonjor, chaton._ Would you like to come in?” Ladybug asked, stepping back. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped through the doorway. She gently closed the door as he took in his surroundings. “Can I get you some coffee?”

“Oh, uh, sure, thank you. Just black is fine.” He shifted his weight back and forth and his hands fidgeted in front of him.

“Why don’t you pick a seat? I’ll be right with you.” Ladybug went into the kitchen and poured the coffee, adding cream to hers. When she went back into the living room area, he had taken a seat on the couch. She handed him his coffee, which he accepted with another ‘thank you,’ and sat down in the adjacent armchair. “How are you feeling?”

Chat took a sip of his coffee before answering. “Good. A bit nervous, I guess.”

“Oh, really? Why is that?”

His eyes glanced around the room. “Just that… I don’t really know what’s going on right now. And my friend has been saying some stuff about you, and… I don’t know.”

“Your friend? The one that sent you to me?”

“Well,” he said, his expression turning sheepish. “He might have told me not to talk to you.”

“Why didn’t you listen to him?”

“He didn’t tell me why I should stay away. I was curious.”

“So what _has_ he told you about me?”

Chat glanced down into his cup. “That you make people get in over their heads really easily. And…”

“And?”

“And he laughed when I said that your eyes were pretty,” he quietly admitted. “Well, he made it sound like your eyes aren’t what I should have noticed about you.”

Ladybug’s smile grew wider. “Thank you. I think your eyes are very pretty, too,” she giggled. “But you want to know what it is that I do, don’t you?”

Chat nodded. “Yes, please.”

She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee. “Do you have any guesses?”

A slight pink flush crept out from underneath his mask, she noted with amusement. “Uhm… Well, I—”

“Relax, kitty, we’re just talking. I’m not going to be offended.”

“Well… I thought you might be… A high end call girl? But I don’t think my friend would be warning me away if that was the case…”

“Very good, kitty,” she said, tipping her cup towards him. “You’re very close. I’m a Domme.”

Chat blinked. “You mean… With like… The whips and leashes and everything?”

“For those who are into that kind of stuff,” Ladybug shrugged. “But it doesn’t have to be.”

“What do you mean?” He tilted his head, reminding her of a real cat.

“Well,” Ladybug sighed, “People come to me for all kinds of reasons. I’m not really here to judge; I’m here to make them feel better. If that’s accomplished through what people typically think of when they hear ‘BDSM,’ I’m fine with that. Some people want the whole ‘beck and call’ thing. Some people want me to take care of them. Some people just want to be… Appreciated, I guess. It doesn’t have to be anything sexual, but I am completely fine with or without that.

“A lot of my usual clients come to me because of a strained relationship with a woman in their lives… Or that used to be in their life. Not like a role-play thing, just for closure or validation from a woman. You know, wives, daughters, mothers…” His eyes widened slightly on the last one. “Your mother? Do you want to talk about it?”

Chat set his cup down on the table and leaned back, resting his head against the cushion. “There’s not really much to talk about. One day, she was reading to me in the garden, and literally the next day, she just… packed a bag and left.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said with sincerity. It clearly still hurt for him. Her parents had always been there for her; she could only imagine what it would be like for one to just leave like that.

He shrugged. “It was years ago.”

She nodded, letting the silence linger for a moment before she leaned forward to set her cup next to his. “Do you have any questions for me?”

He worried his bottom lip as he thought. “Is there anything you don’t do?”

“I do have a couple of rules. I don’t want you touching me unless you ask and I give you permission, or unless I ask you to do so. Our masks have to stay on at all times. I don’t deal with urination or defecation. Using protection during sexual activities is a must. And no mouth-on-mouth kissing.”

Chat nodded as he listened. “Is there anything I’m supposed to call you, if we can’t use names?”

She smiled coyly. “Is there something you want to call me?” His blush was answer enough. “Do you want to call me your Lady?”

Chat was nodding as soon as she finished speaking. “I know what you said last night, but I don’t know if I’m comfortable with, like, ‘Mistress’ or anything.”

“That’s fine, _chaton._ As long as you remember.”

“I will, my Lady.” He smiled as he said it.

“Good. Now, can I assume, from the way that you’re thinking about this, that you’d like to explore this a little bit?”

Chat slowly nodded. “Yes, but… I’m not sure I’m ready for the whole… Sex aspect of it, I guess, right now. Not that I don’t _want_ to — you’re beautiful, my Lady — I just… Ah…”

“You need some time to process it?” Ladybug suggested. He nodded in reply. “That’s completely fine, kitty. We’ll go exactly as fast or slow as you want to go.”

Chat smiled gratefully. “That’s good to know. Thank you.”

“Is there anything you’d like to do today?”

“I mean… Yes, but I’m not exactly sure what,” he said quietly.

“Hm. Well, this building has a strict ‘no pets’ rule. I’d love to cuddle with this cute stray in my apartment while I’ve got the chance, if his temperament is good enough.”

He visibly perked up. “It’s more than good enough, my Lady.”

Ladybug stood and walked over until she was standing right in front of him, taking slow, deliberate steps. “Good,” she said, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. “He looks like he’s in need of some love.”

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead. When she pulled back, his eyes were closed. She settled on the couch next to him, reaching her other arm across to his shoulder.

“Come here, kitty.” He followed her arms as she guided him down to lean against her. Her hands began tracing their way through his hair and down his back, smiling as he leaned up into her touch. “That’s it. Just relax. I’ll take good care of you.”

 

* * *

 

“I’ll see you soon, my Lady.”

She giggled as he swept down into a bow. “What are you going to do next, kiss my hand?”

His eyes brightened as he looked at her. “Would you let me?” In reply, she extended her arm to him. He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. “Until next time.”

_“Au revoir, chaton.”_

In spite of herself, she was looking forward to his next visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea, I know that 'princess' is Chat's thing for Mari, not Adrien's. Fight me.
> 
> I almost made it through a chapter without one of those horizontal line break things. Who's proud of me? (I'm proud of me)


	4. Sweet Talk

The sound that woke Marinette was distinctly different than her usual alarm sound.

_Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Someone was texting her. Quite a lot, from the sound of it. She shoved her head back into the pillow, hoping it would stop.

_Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!_

“Ugh!” She sighed, sitting up with determination.

_Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!_

She walked over to the table where her phone was, ready to turn it off, but the most recent message caught her eye.

Adrien: Their day’s not planned.

_What?_ She opened the message app. “One hundred and three unread texts?” And more kept coming in.

_Bzzt!_

Adrien: Outside the hive, going who knows where, doing who knows what.

_Bzzt!_

Adrien: You can’t just decide to be a pollen jock. You have to be bred for that.

_Bzzt!_

Adrien: Right.  
Marinette: I don’t know what shit you’re pulling, but knock it off  
Adrien: Look. That’s more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime.  
Adrien: It’s just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it.  
Marinette: I’m trying to sleep.  
Adrien: Perhaps. Unless you’re wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it.  
Marinette: Don’t you have better things to be doing with your time?  
Adrien: Those ladies? Aren’t they our cousins, too?  
Adrien: Distant. Distant.  
Marinette: Stop.  
Adrien: Look at these two.  
Marinette: Stop.  
Adrien. Couple of Hive Harrys. Let’s have fun with them.  
Marinette: Stop.  
Adrien: It must be dangerous being a pollen jock.  
Marinette: I’ll block you, so help me

The stream of texts stopped. Marinette sighed in relief, looking at the clock to see that it wasn’t even eight yet. On a Sunday. She trudged back to her bed, phone in hand, flopping down and getting comfortable to see what she could salvage of her morning.

_Bzzt!_

The glare she gave her phone could have melted it.

Adrien: Yeah. A bear once pinned me against a mushroom!

Before she knew it, she had navigated to his contact information and hit the call button.

He picked up immediately. “He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me!”

Marinette had never heard her voice so close to a growl. “Knock it off, Agreste.”

“Oh, my!” he responded in a falsetto before switching back to his normal voice. “I never thought I’d knock him out.”

“Jesus _fuc-”_

“Where were you during this?”

 _“-king_ Christ!”

“Trying to alert the authorities.”

“Oh, my God.”

“I can autograph that.”

“E! There’s a _goddman_ E in my name.”

A chuckle came from the other end of the line as she waited to see if that was the response he was looking for. “Good morning to you, too, Princess.”

“Well, you completely ruined mine. I hope it was worth it.”

“By the twentieth line, I was too invested to stop.” She could picture him shrugging his shoulders, his expression the furthest thing from apologetic.

“You know, there are ways to get letters that _don’t_ involve waking me up before ten on a Sunday and therefore keep you on my good side?”

“It worked, didn’t it?” His tone was teasing, and it sent a flash of irritation — because that’s _all_ it was — through her.

“I’m hanging up,” she announced, then did so a moment later. She stared at the ceiling, not even feeling tired, but not really knowing what to do. It was _too goddamn early_ to do anything. A full minute passed before her phone went off again. She grabbed it with every intent to make good on her promise to block Adrien if he was texting her more of…. _Whatever_ that was.

Adrien: I do feel kind of bad about waking you up, though. I thought maybe your phone was on silent, especially if you’re that passionate about sleeping in. Can I get you a coffee to make up for it?

She was honestly tempted to just brush him off and stare at her ceiling for another hour. But if it would get Alya off her case…

Marinette: ...Sure. Do you have someplace in mind?

* * *

 

“What do you think?” The woman in a smart navy blue blazer and matching skirt pivoted on the balls of her ivory pumps, tablet poised for action, to raise an eyebrow at the pair behind her.

The blond turned his head to look at the dark-haired man next to him, as if asking him the same question. He, in turn, rolled his eyes. “Dude, it’s gonna be _your_ apartment. I’m just here for moral support.”

Adrien’s features relaxed into an easy smile. “So, you’re not going to stop me from putting a deposit down right now?”

“Not a bit,” Nino replied, clapping his best friend on the shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”

Half an hour later, the real estate agent left with the promise of getting in contact for the finishing paperwork, but the apartment was officially his. Adrien had to resist the urge to do something stupid and cliche, like spin around and burst into song. At least, he couldn’t do that until Nino left.

“This is unreal,” he sighed instead, making his way to the large island in the middle of the kitchen and hopping up to sit on it. “A whole apartment of my own… Oh, my gosh, I can _decorate_ this however I want to!” A second later, the blood drained from his face. “Oh, my gosh, I have to decorate this place. And get furniture. And—”

“Adrien.” Nino leaned against the counter next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “That’s what friends are for. I’ll help you, and so will Alya and… Her friend.”

Adrien snorted. “They barely know me. I doubt they’ll be willing.”

“Would it hurt to ask?” Nino questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Alya’s friend has a really good eye for that sort of stuff. And this will help you get to know her a bit more. Both of them, actually. That’s how friendships work, dude. You don’t just meet and instantly know everything about someone.”

“I guess,” the blond conceded.

Nino cleared his throat. “So, how are you and her getting along?” He pushed himself up so he was sitting on the counter, too.

Adrien chuckled, bumping his shoulder against Nino’s. “If you must know, Sergeant Subtlety, we got coffee on Sunday.”

“Oh?”

“...I may have woken her up on accident.”

Nino raised his eyebrows. “From what Alya’s told me, that’s a feat in itself.”

“Yeah, well… I was sending her the script from The Bee Movie line by line. I was one hundred and three lines in when she responded.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of an accident.”

“Well, I didn’t know she was asleep. I thought her phone would’ve been on silent or something. The coffee was to apologize.”

“If she agreed to that, I don’t think she resents you. I’ll ask if they want to help you tomorrow.”

Adrien smiled. “You’re the best.”

* * *

 

So, on Friday, Adrien found himself standing outside of the house where he grew up, the remnants of his life there in boxes split between his and Nino’s cars. As his eyes traced the cold exterior, covering a colder interior, he didn’t feel any sort of remorse. No nostalgic flashbacks. No wishing he didn’t have to grow up so he could stay there. He was done with this part of his life.

With a sigh, he turned back to his friend. “Shall we?”

Nino’s answering smile was the biggest non-Alya-related smile he’d ever seen on his face. “We shall. Alya said they’re five minutes away.” He gestured to their waiting cars. “Lead the way.”

Adrien shot back a grin as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He waited for Nino to give him a thumbs-up in the rear-view mirror before pulling out onto the street and making his way towards his new apartment.

As Nino had predicted, Alya’s friend had been more than willing to help him get his apartment together. She’d come over Wednesday afternoon to give suggestions regarding furniture and color schemes. Though she’d left to work on commissions, she’d kept in touch Thursday, too, as he sent her pictures of what he was ordering.

He’d earned an I in the process for being able to differentiate between different shades of blue and give an opinion on which he liked. Not that it was anything _he_ was particularly proud of; after all, growing up around designers and models had ensured he would know the difference between royal blue and azure.

When he pulled up next to the building, he saw the girls already waiting on the sidewalk. He parked his car, leaving space for Nino’s behind him, and got out to greet them.

“Afternoon, Alya,” he said with a wave before turning to the bluenette, who had a white box in her hands. “Pleasure to see you again, Princess.”

Said girl rolled her eyes. “And what are you going to call me once you stop needing my help?”

A smirk made its way to Adrien’s lips. “Still Princess, I assume. It’s got an R, an E, and an I, so I must be on the right track.”

“Hm.” She tapped her chin in mock thoughtfulness. “I suppose telling you that there’s an N would only add to that, wouldn’t it?”

“Absolutely, Princess.”

“Are you two done flirting or should Nino and I just start moving all of your boxes for you?” Alya’s voice cut in, but when the two jumped back (yikes, had he _really_ invaded that much of her personal space?) her face was nothing short of pleased. Behind her glasses, her eyes flicked back and forth between them, analytical and missing nothing. All the news reporters, paparazzi, and talk show hosts combined couldn’t have matched her.

“We’re good,” her friend said, stepping closer to Adrien only to brush his shoulder as she passed him and opened the car door. She grabbed two of his boxes after setting hers on top and started heading towards the door.

* * *

 

“Oh, my God!”

The exclamation had all heads in the room turning towards the girl. She’d just opened a box and was staring almost reverently at its contents. Her hands fluttered by the sides, as if unsure whether she should be touching it.

“Is this— are these—?”

Adrien cocked an eyebrow before standing and walking over to investigate. When he saw what she was looking at, his expression softened. He reached into the box to pull out one of several framed drawings.

“Gabriel original sketches,” he confirmed, guessing that was what had her so worked up. That’s not why he had taken them with him, though. “They’re from back when my mom was the face of his womenswear line.”

“Oh, _wow,”_ she sighed, reaching out with a careful finger to trace along the figure. “She’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, she was,” Adrien replied quietly, not noticing how the girl beside him turned towards him with a concerned expression. “She was my father’s biggest inspiration. He wanted to make the most beautiful things for her, because she didn’t deserve anything less. He would have given her the world if she’d asked for it… But she was happy with us.”

The bluenette placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering him a small smile when he finally turned to look at her. “She sounds wonderful.”

Adrien nodded before carefully placing the sketch back inside the box. “You know, if you like the sketches, I can get more for you to look at.”

The mood in the room lightened considerably as her jaw comically dropped. “Wha— _really?”_

“Sure,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “At the cost of another letter.”

She raised an eyebrow. “That… That’s all you want?” He nodded. “Sounds fake but… A.”

Adrien smiled, pulling out his phone and adding the letter to the string he had in his contact name for her. “Are you trying to avoid telling me that your name is _also_ Adrien?”

She snorted. “What?”

He showed her the letters. “All you’re missing is the D.”

Alya chose that moment to pipe up. “You offering, Agreste?”

For the second time that day, the two moved apart with equally red faces. “All right,” her friend said, “Time for a break. I brought pastries and... Some chocolates.”

Alya brightened up, going with the new flow and following her friend to the kitchen. “Roselyn?”

“Roselyn,” she confirmed.

“Roselyn?” Adrien and Nino asked.

“My girl here helps out a girl named Roselyn with… Color theory, was it?” Alya looked over to confirm. “And Roselyn feels the need to buy her chocolates as a thank-you.”

“Some chocolates,” Adrien commented, opening the white box and seeing them nestled to the side of various pastries. “You know these are—”

“Jean-Paul Hévin? The best chocolate in Paris?” She reached past him, taking one out of the box and biting into it. “Yeah, I know. She’s from a well-off family. I’ve tried to get her to stop, believe me, but she insists.” Her expression was a tad too annoyed for someone complaining about just chocolate, but Adrien brushed it off as something to do with the personality of the girl.

Adrien grabbed a pastry and propped himself against the counter, pulling out his phone as he did so. The others seemed to do the same, catching up on what had happened in the — woah, had it really already been two and a half hours?

He wasn’t surprised when he had more than a few notifications, some from Nathalie, some from his friends, but one from a little less than three hours ago caught his eye. It must have been while  he was driving.

LB: Hey, kitty. You still planning on coming over tomorrow?

He glanced around, making sure no one was going to look over his shoulder as he replied.

Chat Noir: You bet, my lady.  
LB: I’m glad to hear that. I’ve been missing you ;)  
LB: Have you had time to… Process things?

_Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Don’t blush._

Chat Noir: I have. I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to taking things further.  
LB: Excellent. I’ll be sure to have something nice and fun planned. See you at one?  
Chat Noir: Sounds perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha... Sorry this took so long. A busy day turned into a busy week, which turned into discovering a new author and wanting to read all of their fics and... Yeah. Long story short, no legitimate excuse, but next chapter's going to finally earn the rating ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) stay hyped.


	5. Deep End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, checking the word count every 50 words: are you two /done/ yet?
> 
> For reference, this was somewhere around 9k words before this chapter. 
> 
> Anyway. Hope you enjoy finally earning the rating ;)
> 
> This chapter contains explicit sexual content including some light bondage & a dash of edging.

Adrien took a moment to compose himself as he stood outside the door. After a quick glance to confirm no one was in the stairwell, he swapped out his sunglasses for the mask in his pocket, followed by the clip-in cat ears.

He didn’t know if they were essential, along with continuing to wear the sclera contacts, but he enjoyed the additional layers of protection they provided him, allowing him to shed Adrien like a skin and pull on Chat Noir.

As Adrien, he had to be calm and composed at all times. Ladybug, it seemed, would do her best to break any sort of calm composure she found in him.

After a quick glance in the reflection of his phone screen, he raised a hand and knocked three times. Twelve seconds later (not that he was counting or anything), the door opened.

His eyes started at the red pumps, travelled up the semi-sheer black nylon-covered legs, past the hint of white lace peeking out of the hem of the mid-thigh length dress, over the curves accentuated by black fabric, to the white peter pan collar, lingered on the cherry-red lips, and finally met her electric gaze behind the lacy red and black mask.

“See something you like, _chaton?”_

His lips pulled back into a grin. Movement caught his eye — she was extending her arm into the space between them. He took the hint and caught her hand in his own before carefully raising it to his lips.

“I could ask you the same thing, my Lady,” he replied, not missing the way her eyes were flickering away from his. And was that the lighting, or was there the hint of a blush under —

“Oh, get in here, kitty.” She rolled her eyes and turned, walking away from the door. “Could you lock that for me?”

“Making sure no one gets curious about all the screaming?” he asked.

“That’s what gags are for,” she replied with a wink as she spun to face him again. “It’s more of a reminder for you, letting you know that you’re in control.”

Chat paused, fingers barely touching the lock. “I thought your whole thing was you being in control?”

“I only have as much control as you give me, Chat.” She took a step closer to him. “I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. That’s no fun for either of us.”

“Right.”

The lock slid into place.

A smirk slid onto her face.

“Good boy.” She reached across the space between them to trace a finger up his neck and towards his chin. “Ready to have some fun?”

“As long as you’re providing it, my Lady.”

“Why don’t you head on into the bedroom?” she said, pointing towards it without looking away from him. “I’ll be there in a second.”

Adrien only lingered for a second before nodding and turning towards the room. As he walked in, he flipped on the lights and looked around. _Well,_ he thought, _it doesn’t_ look _like a medieval torture room._

A king-sized four-poster bed was centered on the wall opposite the door, perfectly made with white sheets. A dark-wooded hutch stood next to it, windows painted over with a black-and-red polka-dotted pattern. Tucked into the corner was a plush red armchair. Matching curtains covered the windows. A few large paintings hung on the wall.

Chat walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain with a finger to look down at the street. He didn’t know if he was expecting anything different, but a normal street is what he found. He let the curtain fall back into place.

He idly wondered what he should be doing while waiting. Was he supposed to just be standing there? Sitting on the bed? _Laying_ on the bed? Was he supposed to be stripping right now? As he made his way to the other side of the room, he let his hand trail over the comforter, admiring how soft the cool material was.

Chat leaned against the pole at the foot of the bed as his gaze wandered over the artwork. It looked like it was abstract, but he gave it a couple seconds to see if the red and black splotches and shapes would suddenly shift into something recognizable… Nope, just abstract.

The frames were quite thick, he noticed. He pushed himself up again and crossed over to the one nearest to him. He reached out a hand to touch it…

“Ah, ah, ah, kitty.”

He jerked his hand back as if the painting had shocked him. His head turned back towards the door, towards Ladybug leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and smirk on her face.

“We’re not getting into those just yet.”

Chat raised an eyebrow. “...Those?”

Ladybug was silent for a moment, appearing to be contemplating something. When her expression relaxed, she stood up straight again and walked towards him with confident steps. Eyes locked on his, she reached up and seemed to press down on the side of the frame, which caused the entire side to swing open. “These.”

He broke the eye contact to see what she’d revealed. Three rows of various… _instruments_ (because really, he didn’t know what else to call them) hung neatly inside. Leather seemed to be a common theme between them: wrapped around the handle, hanging from the end, some with just a little, others completely covered…

He swallowed nervously. “Right. Yeah, not yet.”

Ladybug made a small humming noise before turning to walk to the other side of the bed. As she passed the foot, she patted the covers. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable? I’ll walk you through some of the stuff I want to do with you today.”

As she hadn’t been too specific (again), Chat removed his shoes and sat on the bed with his legs crossed. “What sort of stuff?”

“Patience, _chaton,_ I just said I’d tell you,” Ladybug gently chided as she reached the hutch. She opened one of the doors facing him, so he couldn’t see what she was doing. “Just to be clear, you don’t have any experience with anything like this, right?”

“I had a girl ask me to blindfold her once,” he mused, leaning back on his hands. “But then she started moaning out this other guy’s name… So no, nothing like whatever you’ve got going on.”

Ladybug chuckled. “Definitely not.” She turned to look at him again. “Is there anything you don’t want to do at all? I’m not talking about just tonight — I _am_ planning on taking this as slow as you want me to — but is there anything I should be aware of that you’re not interested in trying at all?”

“Uhm… I mean, I don’t know?” Chat didn’t know why it came out as more of a question than an answer. “Can’t I just, like, _tell_ you if I don’t like something you’re doing?”

“Of course you can, kitty.” With that, she pulled a small black box from the hutch and set it on the pillow before shutting the door and pushing herself up onto the bed, across from him. She settled with her legs tucked up next to her, leaning on a hand. “That brings us to our next topic: safewords. Have you heard of those before?”

Chat nodded. “I mean, yeah, but I don’t understand why you need to have a special way to say ‘stop.’ Can’t I just say that?”

Ladybug’s soft smile turned coy as she reached across the space between them to run a hand across his shoulder and down his arm. “You can, but… Can you honestly tell me that every time you say ‘stop,’ you’d _really_ want me to stop?”

At her words, his imagination put him on his back in the middle of the mattress, hands somewhere above his head, Ladybug’s lips hovering an inch above his own. His eyes would be locked on the way her gaze travelled down his body, down to where her hand would be lazily stroking him.

 _“What do you want me to do?”_ she’d ask.

At first, only a strangled noise would make its way from his throat. Then, he’d find his voice. _“Please stop teasing me, my Lady.”_

A frown would settle on those cherry-red lips as she’d move her hand slower. _“And what if that’s not what_ I _want to do?”_

_“Please—”_

_“What if I want to make you beg some more?”_

Non-imaginary Chat found himself clearing his throat as he felt a flash of heat run through his body. “No, I… I guess I can’t.”

“Right.” Ladybug took a deep breath in, arching her back as she stretched for a moment before laying down fully. She patted the space next to her, and he uncrossed his legs to lie next to her. “So. Safewords. It should be something you wouldn’t say in bed, or sound like something like that. Some people find it easier if it’s something that’s a complete turn-off, but it’s up to you.”

When he was seven, he’d attended his first party hosted by his father. All dressed up in a three-piece suit perfectly tailored for his tiny body, he’d been bored out of his mind wishing there was someone his own age to play with.

_“Now, Adrien, take some cheese from the waiter. See how all the adults are doing it?”_

_“But père, I don’t want to.”_

_“Doing things you don’t want to is part of growing up.”_

_“But—”_

_“Stop making a scene, Adrien, and eat your—”_

“Camembert.”

Ladybug quirked an eyebrow as she wrinkled her nose. “Instant mood killer it is, then.”

A chuckle slipped out of Chat’s lips at that. “I’m so glad you’re on my side.”

“I’m pretty sure _everyone_ is on your side.”

“Not mature, refined, crabby old people,” he huffed, rolling his eyes.

She giggled before reaching out to trace her fingers down his neck. “Then, it’s a good thing we’re not mature, refined, crabby, or old.”

Chat closed his eyes as her thumb rubbed a particularly sensitive spot just beneath his ear. “Yeah…”

“Can you do something for me, kitty?”

His eyes popped back open. “Of course, my Lady.”

“Would you open that box for me?” Her eyes glanced up, towards the pillows, and he followed her gaze to the box she’d put there earlier. He reached up and dragged it down between them, then propped himself up on an arm to undo the latch. Her hand didn’t leave him as he moved, just shifted down to his waist, fingers tracing random patterns through the material of his shirt.

When he lifted the lid, he found two black pieces of leather and a carabiner. Curious, he picked on up, turning it over to reveal straps that looked like they were meant to secure them. It took him a moment.

“...Cuffs?”

“Do you like them?” asked Ladybug, her voice teasing but with an undertone of sincerity.

“I’m not… I’m not _opposed_ to them,” he said, thumbs tracing the cool material. His imagination took him back to the scene he’d envisioned just a couple minutes beforehand, and found it was only that much more appealing, imagining himself _unable_ to move his hands…

He did his best to ignore the twitch he felt in his pants, but the same could not be said for the blush creeping out from the underside of his mask. He pulled his eyes away from the cuffs long enough to see her tracking it with amusement.

“Well, then, let’s get this shirt off so we can see how they look on you.” Her hand drifted to the buttons on his shirt, slowly working one through its hole and moving up to the next one. Chat swallowed nervously before setting the cuffs back in the box and bringing his own hands down to work on the ones trailing down.

When all the buttons had been freed, Chat pushed himself up to a sitting position to work the sleeves off his arms. He tried to, anyway. Ladybug followed him up and tugged the cloth off herself and tossed it to the side. It was getting _really_ hard to stop himself from getting… Well, _hard._

...Then again, did he _need_ to stop himself? That was her whole thing, right? What he was even there for?

Perhaps he was supposed to just relax and enjoy her hands stroking his shoulders, down his chest, over his stomach… Pushing him down… And his situation certainly wasn’t helped when she swung a leg over his hips to straddle him. He fisted his hands in the covers to keep himself from touching her as she worked her hands up from his hips to his shoulders again.

 _“Mon Dieu,_ what a _specimen,”_ she all but purred. “I knew you were pretty, but this… I’m _definitely_ going to enjoy playing with you, kitty.”

For good measure, it seemed, she reached a hand up to ruffle his hair, being careful not to dislodge the clip-in ears. He pushed his head up into the contact and was rewarded with a giggle and a slightly harder scratch.

“All right, _minou,_ let’s get these on. Wrists, please.”

He brought up his left arm and put it into her waiting hand. She got out one of the cuffs and quickly secured it around his wrist.

“Wiggle your fingers for me,” she said, watching as he did so. “Is that too tight? Is it uncomfortable?”

He shook his head. “It feels fine, my Lady.”

“Good.” She smiled. She repeated the action for his other wrist. "Is this one good, too?"

"Yes, my Lady."

She paused for a moment, admiring the contrast between the black leather and his tan skin. “Now, what do you think should come off next? These,” she said, reaching a hand behind her to run her palm down the material covering his thigh, “Or this?” She brought her hand back to push the hem of her dress up, exposing the top of her stockings as well as a scant inch of her smooth skin above it.

He didn’t even have to think about his answer. “The dress,” he said, eyes meeting hers.

“Very well.” She moved so she wasn’t sitting on him any longer, instead turning around so her back was facing him. She pulled her hair to the side. “Would you care to do the honors?”

“Yes, my Lady.” He pushed himself up to a sitting position again, hands reaching for the top of the zipper. As he pulled it down, he wasn’t exactly expecting to see _more_ material, but if he’d been in the right mentality to fully consider it, he really shouldn’t have been surprised that she would have some form of extravagant lingerie underneath. He couldn’t see the full thing, but he know what red ribbons lacing back and forth meant — trouble for his current state of arousal.

When the zipper reached the bottom of the track, she slipped off the bed and pulled the dress off her shoulders and down. It dropped to the floor, revealing a black corset with a red lace overlay and matching panties. _Christ._ Whoever said thongs were the sexiest form of underwear had _definitely_ not seen how more material with the right cut could so _perfectly_ emphasize roundness.

He didn’t notice his mouth opening slightly until she looked over her shoulder with a smirk. “Enjoying the view, _chaton?”_

His answering blush was enough for her, it seemed, as she turned around so he could admire the front as well. The neckline might have been considered slightly ‘modest’ if she was wearing a dress, but he didn’t think he’d ever seen something that could look so sinful while covering the same amount of skin. A series of hooks ran down the middle, and he wanted nothing more than to see them undone.

He didn’t even realize he was reaching for her until she was pushing his hands away.

“Down, boy.” There was amusement in her voice, and he looked up to see a playful glint in her eye. He fell back onto the bed with a groan. “Now, let’s see what we can do about getting some of these layers off of you.”

She crawled back onto the bed so she was kneeling next to him and reached down to stroke his thighs again. When she brought her hands up towards his belt, she let one gently trace over the bulge forming in his pants. He bit his lip to muffle a groan as his thighs flexed, trying to resist the urge to buck up into her hand.

“Someone’s excited,” she giggled. She leaned down to kiss his jaw as she pressed down slightly harder, rolling her palm against him, and he could _feel_ the blood rushing downwards. He tried to stifle another groan, but she brought her free hand up to his mouth and gently freed his lip from his teeth with her thumb. “None of that, now, kitty. You make the most _beautiful_ sounds, and I want to hear them all.”

She took mercy on him, then, and moved her hands away to work on his belt. She had him lift his hips to clear it from the loops, then again once she’d undone the button and zipper on his trousers to tug them down. When he was in nothing but his boxer briefs, she sat back on her heels to look him over.

“Glad to know I’m not the only one with color-coordinated underwear,” she said. He glanced down. He hadn’t planned it, but the black boxer briefs had the logo stitched in neon green. It must have been the mood his was in that morning — a subconscious decision, but one that he would definitely be making again, if she seemed to like it.

When her fingers hooked in the waistband, he automatically lifted his hips, eyes trained on her expression. He noticed that, even as she was pulling his final piece of clothing off, her own gaze was locked on his erection. Was the way she licked her lips conscious or…

And then, she was leaning down, mouth slightly parted, and _(Christ, is she really going to—)_ kissed his thigh, right next to the base of his cock. He wasn’t sure if the feeling that flooded through him was relief or disappointment, but his groan was definitely out of frustration.

It certainly didn’t help when she continued kissing him, forming a path up to his neck, then along his jaw to his ear. “Are you ready for our fun to begin?”

A breathless chuckle escaped him. “It hasn’t already?”

“Oh, kitty…” She pulled back to look him in the eye. “You haven’t seen the half of it. When you’re up for it, I want you sitting on your knees, palms up on your thighs.” She moved back to give him the room to get up.

He pushed himself up, tucking his legs beneath him, and placed his hands on his thighs as instructed, then looked at her for confirmation.

“Almost,” she said, moving to kneel behind him. When he turned his head to follow her movement, she gently pushed it back so he was looking forward. Her hands then travelled down to rest on the insides of his thighs, applying a light pressure. “Spread your legs just a bit more.”

He did so, shifting so his legs opened a little bit at a time, until she brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders.

“Perfect. Just like that,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re picking up on this very quickly. I should have known my kitty would be smart.”

His heart fluttered at the praise, something that was only made worse as her hands moved from his shoulders down to his arms, tracing a line to his palms. She laced her fingers through his and gave them a gentle squeeze before moving her lips down his neck and back up to his other ear.

“How does this make you feel?”

“Exposed,” he answered honestly. He’d never felt it to this degree in his life, and he’d been stripped down in an open room more times than he could count.

“But you trust me, don’t you?” Her sultry tone sent another wave of heat downwards. If he hadn’t already been hard from her praise and teasing, that would have done it. As it was, he groaned and bit his lip as he tried to clear his head before responding.

“Of course, my Lady.”

“What’s your safeword?”

“Camembert.”

“Good boy. Don’t be afraid to use it if you’re uncomfortable. You don’t have to prove anything to me.” She planted a kiss below his ear just before her hands started to move. They moved away from his hands, making their way down his legs to his knees. When they traced their way back up, she caught his wrists and pulled them behind his back. A couple seconds later, he heard a click. “Can you test that for me?”

Chat tugged his arms, but found they were now bound together. _Fuck._ He curled his hands into fists. “I-I can’t move them.”

“Perfect.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “I want you to tell me if your hands start feeling cold, tingly, numb, or anything that you think they shouldn’t, okay?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“Good boy.” She leaned up to press a kiss against his cheek before smoothing her palms down his thighs again. “I’ve been thinking about you all week.” Her hands travelled back up, slowly tracing the outsides of his thighs, over his hips, and up his abdomen.

“You’re not the only one.” His eyes fluttered shut as her mouth traced a path down his neck and over his shoulder. When her hands reached his chest, they paused for a moment before she curved her fingers, letting her nails scrape his skin as they worked their way back down. He gasped and straightened up at the feeling.

She smirked against his skin, and he could feel a hint of her teeth. “Not the only one thinking about you this week?” she asked.

“N-not the only one thinking about _this,”_ he amended in a strangled voice.

“Good,” she said, “I don’t want you forgetting that you’re _my_ kitty.” Her hands moved down past his hips, skimming _right_ past where he wanted her to touch him most, and began tracing patterns along the insides of his thighs.

It took him a couple seconds to process what she’d said, and a few more to formulate a response. “I… I won’t, my L-Lady.”

Ladybug hummed in response, pressing herself against his back as she worked her mouth back up his neck. He could feel every inch of lace as she slowly rolled her torso against him, and _God,_ he was slowly losing the ability to think.

When her hands moved up to his navel again, he instinctively bucked his hips. Ladybug grabbed his waist and pulled him back against her, resettling herself. It took Chat a moment to realize that one of his hands was now between her thighs, and that wetness he felt…

_Dear God...._

“None of that, now, kitty,” she growled in his ear before lightly biting the lobe. His arms jerked against his restraints, causing his hand to press up against her, and he reveled in the small gasp he felt against his skin more than he heard. Desperate for more of that, he freed his hand from the fist and began moving his fingers against her, seeking more sensitive places.

_Smack!_

The sharp slap to the inside of his thigh wasn’t hard enough to hurt, not really, but the difference in sensation coupled with the unexpectedness of it cut through the haze and had him arching his back, trying to create space to wriggle backwards and away.

“You _don’t_ touch me until I say you can.” The demanding tone had Chat going completely still, hand closing back into a fist before he’d finished processing the words. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes, my Lady,” he breathed.

“Good.” With that, her hands resumed their previous task, tracing patterns all over his skin, though now letting her nails scrape him more often. It wasn’t a change he’d ever complain about. He slowly felt himself dissolving again underneath her fingertips and mouth, and that was _before_ she whispered, “Can I leave marks back here?”

He nodded. “Ju-just nothing on my-y neck…”

A feather-light kiss on his left shoulder was the only warning he received before he felt her teeth sink into the skin. A second later, her teeth were replaced with her lips again as she kissed and sucked on the spot, her tongue _— Dieu,_ her _tongue —_ darting out every so often as she marked him.  
Just when he thought the tension was going to kill him, she removed her mouth.

Half a second later, he found out it was just to repeat the process a few inches closer to his spine.

All the while, her hands never stopped touching his chest, his stomach, his thighs…

 _“F-fuck,_ Ladybug, _please,”_ he moaned.

Her lips barely paused long enough to say, “Please _what?”_ before biting down again.

Chat groaned, biting his lip to try and suppress the sound. _“Touch me…”_ he got out. _“Please…”_

Ladybug hummed before moving up to settle her chin on his shoulder. “Alright, kitty.” She planted a kiss on his cheek before _finally_ moving her hand to grasp the base of his erection. Her other arm wrapped around his hips and held them firmly in place as she slowly, ever so slowly, started pumping him.

He’d been as close to the edge as he’d been able to get through her teasing, but now, Ladybug was using _just_ the right amount of pressure to take him straight to the edge and dangle him off. He was barely holding on, struggling against his restraints and her arm in his search for _more._

He found himself sinking down, lower, using her arm as support as his thighs started shaking too much for him to be able to support himself. He’d never felt like this before; he’d had some experiences in bed that were pretty damn good (if he did say so himself) but no one had ever been able to reduce him to this absolute mess, _especially_ not with just their hand.

“You’re doing so good, kitty,” she whispered into his ear, and he concentrated on that.

“Please- _my-Lady-_ can-I-come?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“Hm…” Her hand unwrapped itself from his shaft and instead started tracing teasing lines up to the tip and back down to the base. “Are you ready for our fun to be over?”

Part of him wanted to say yes, to let her finish him off and put an end to the teasing. Another part of him, though, heard something in her voice that made him want to impress her by holding out. She might not have said it in as many words, but something in him suspected this was some kind of test for him.

“I… No, but I-I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” he admitted breathlessly.

“Alright,” she said simply before removing her hands from him completely. He felt her presence disappear from behind him and suddenly started panicking — had that been the wrong thing to say? What was she doing?

Chat slumped forward, shaking with need. Perhaps later, he’d be embarrassed about his current state, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care at the moment.

He felt her hands at his wrists, then the tension keeping them behind his back disappeared. He brought them in front of himself, trying to push himself back up into a more dignified sitting position.

“Lay down for me, kitty, on your back. Hands above your head.” Her voice came from somewhere off to the left. She must have gotten off the bed. When he complied a few seconds later, she asked, “Do you have a latex allergy?”

The question grounded him a bit, and he was able to shake his head without having to think about it too hard.

“Great. What color do you think you want? Green, to match your eyes?”

He turned his head to see her holding up a neon green foil packet. _Fuck, I’m_ so _screwed._ He could only nod, not trusting anything that would come out of his mouth at that point. Ladybug smiled and crawled back onto the bed. She set the packet down and busied herself with his hands.

“How are you feeling, kitty? Any tingling or numbness?” He felt her running her hands over his, squeezing his fingers with her own. He shook his head. He felt her tug his hands a few inches further up, then heard another click. “Good. Can you test that for me?”

He lightly tried pulling his arms down, but wasn’t able to move them. She must have secured them to the headboard. _This shouldn’t be as hot as it is._

“All good, my Lady.”

He watched as a smile blossomed across Ladybug’s lips. Movement caught his eye, and he couldn’t help but drag his gaze down to her hips, shifting subtly underneath her. _Is she just as turned on by this?_

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of foil ripping. The next thing he knew was the cool latex being smoothed down by her warm hand over his straining erection. It took everything in him to keep still, but he couldn’t stop a strangled groan from coming out.

“Now, kitty,” she said, not taking her hand off of him as she slowly moved to straddle his hips. (When had she taken off her panties?) “You’re doing amazing so far. I’m impressed with the self-control you’ve shown me. Are you ready for more?”

Chat nodded. “Y-Yes…”

Ladybug took a moment to run her other hand up his chest and to his face, lightly tracing his cheek. “Then I don’t want you to come until I do, okay?”

 _Dear Lord, she’s going to kill me._ “Okay.”

She only gave him a second to register her smile and the feeling of her hand disappearing before she sank down on him in one fluid motion. His eyes snapped shut and his fingernails dug into his palms at the sudden onslaught of sensation. All he could process was _warm_ and _tight_ and — _God,_ she was obviously working _some_ kind of muscle, because he could feel her walls fluttering around him even through the latex.

With a groan, his eyes fluttered open again, just in time to watch her lean back on one of his thighs with a hand to support herself as she slowly rose up, then slid back down again. She was obviously putting on a show for him, but if her gasps were anything to go by, she seemed to be enjoying it just as much as he was.

Well. _Almost_ as much as he was. He wasn’t entirely sure he was capable of lasting as long as she’d want him t— _Christ, she’s touching herself now._

Soft gasps now filled the air, punctuating the small, tight circles she was making on her clit. He was pretty sure the only reason he was still holding it together was the fact that he couldn’t draw his eyes away from watching himself disappear into her. If he’d been able to look up and see the pure expression of _want_ and _bliss_ on her face, he would’ve come in two seconds flat.

As it was, the needy sounds coming out of his mouth at the sight of her using him for her pleasure were more than enough evidence of how hard he was fighting the urge to do what every single instinct in his body was screaming for him to do and just _let go._

“So good,” Ladybug moaned above him. “You’re doing… So good. Just… A little more…”

A light sheen of sweat was forming on her body now. Chat was sure he was doing the same, but the way her thighs almost seemed to _glow_ from it…

Maybe God was merciful, though, because if she didn’t have that corset on, if he was treated to the sight of her bare chest with that same glow, he would have been a goner the moment the dress was unzipped. Not that the mental image of that was doing him any favors in the ‘holding it together’ department.

“Ladybug… My Lady, _please…”_ Chat didn’t know if he’d ever heard his voice sound so _wrecked._

Ladybug moved the hand on her thigh to his chest and leaned forward, pressing feverish kisses along his collarbone in between gasps that were rising in pitch.

“C-Come for me, kitt- _ah!”_

Her exclamation was coupled with a sudden tightening around his cock, and he knew he couldn’t hold back if he’d tried. Spots appeared in his vision as he came, pulling at his restraints, feeling like every muscle in his body was tensing as his back arched, thrusting _that much_ deeper into her. Her accompanying moans made it clear that she didn’t mind at all.

She collapsed on him a few moments after his body had relaxed, and he could feel her abdomen tensing with small aftershocks. If it was any other girl, he’d have been rubbing his hands up and down her back as they both came down.

But, of course, the girls he’d been with didn’t have rules about him touching them. And they didn’t cuff his hands to the headboard, either.

Ladybug pushed herself back up before their breathing had returned to normal, slowly pulling herself off of him before removing the condom and tying it off. She released his wrists and took the cuffs off, setting them next to her. “Wait right here,” she instructed.

As if he could move yet.

She slipped into the bathroom and returned a minute later with warm towel. She cleaned the sweat off of his face with gentle strokes before moving down to clean between his legs. “Feel free to use the bathroom,” she said with a soft smile as she patted his chest.

Right. Hygiene stuff. That was a thing.

When he got back, he found her lying on the bed in an oversized t-shirt. He found his boxer briefs and slipped them on before joining her.

“Come here, kitty,” she said, opening her arms. He cuddled into her with a soft sigh, arms wrapping around her. “How was that on your end?”

“Amazing. That was… Incredible.” He looked up at her with a dopey smile. “Seriously, thank you so much. I didn’t know I needed that.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” She ducked down to place a kiss against the top of his head.

“I beg to differ.”

She laughed, then was quiet for a moment. “Seriously, though.” Her tone was a touch more serious. “Were you… Okay with everything? That wasn’t too far, was it?”

Chat shook his head. “It was just right. And if it wasn’t, I would have told you. You didn’t give me any reason not to trust you.”

Ladybug seemed to relax at that. She brought up a hand to stroke his hair. “That’s what I like to hear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so just a couple of things:
> 
> First, this is a bandwagon I will happily jump on: there's not one right way to have sex, but there are definitely a lot of wrong ways!!! The most important thing, whether you're kinky af or vanilla or somewhere in between, is making sure that you both/all feel safe and comfortable with what's happening! I know that it's super easy to get caught up in everything and things might start moving fast, but it's perfectly okay so stop if something's happening that you don't want to happen. If you don't trust the person/people you're with to stop, then you probs shouldn't be doing the do with them. 
> 
> That being said. I don't really have irl experience on the dominant side of things, so I'm including stuff that isn't really safe, please please please let me know so I can change that. Reddit isn't exactly the most reliable source of information, but I'm trying to take it with a grain of salt.
> 
> Second, I realized that this is my first time actually writing smut? So I would def appreciate any comments regarding how I did, esp if the pacing was right, bc that's something I tend to struggle with. Any sort of comment is fine, of course, but I want my writing to be as good as I can get it! Thanks in advance <3
> 
> Third, I'm trying to make more of an effort to use my Tumblr and be more interactive/post updates/etc, so if that sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, give me a follow at https://etoilesjaunes.tumblr.com
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	6. Facade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, wow, so I promise I'm not dead. Sorry it's been so long, but starting a 50+ hours-per-week job has just been (: great (: Also, I have like five half-finished things in my WIPs that I got random motivation for. In other announcements, the tags have been updated ;) bc I need another plot point bc despite knowing what I want to happen in general, I really don't have a solid way of getting there and still have it be paced the way I want to. So if there's anything anyone wants to see, let me know in the comments ;) 
> 
> This chapter contains non-explicit references to sexual activities.

Ladybug: Good morning, kitty!   
Ladybug: Just checking in. How are you feeling?   
Chat Noir: Furr-bulous, thanks for asking!   
Ladybug: That’s great! No unexpected sadness, depression, or other bad stuff?   
Chat Noir: Nothing out of the usual.   
Chat Noir: Is that… something that happens?   
Ladybug: Only if I don’t do my job right.   
Chat Noir: Well, I’d say you were more than fine, my Lady.   
Ladybug: Glad to hear it ;)

Marinette sighed as she tossed her phone to the side, shifting in her sheets to try and get comfortable again. She’d woken up at half past seven, wet and wanting, with images from yesterday’s scene flashing through her mind.

She couldn’t say for sure whether or not she’d _intended_ to get off twice that morning, but it happened, and she knew she couldn’t say she’d regretted it.

It had been a while since she’d gotten a client closer to her age — hell, it’d been five months since she’d gotten someone under _thirty_ — and it was just so _refreshing._ Chat was young, attractive, and had the kind of innocence that _almost_ made her want to preserve him.

Another part, the one that had the controlling share in her thoughts, was relishing in the fact that she was the one showing him this side of things, that _she_ was the one he’d trusted with said innocence.

Yes, Marinette would be lying if she said being with him was not the most fun she’d had in several months. Sure, she was able to get off every now and then, but it wasn’t the kind of orgasm that had left her nearly shaking and _definitely_ wanting more.

It was barely Sunday morning, and already, she couldn’t _wait_ for Saturday to come.

* * *

“Chloé Bourgeois, to whom am I speaking?”

She stopped for a moment to admire an outfit in a window display as she impatiently waited for an answer. Whoever was on the other end of the line sighed.

“Hey, Chloé. It’s Nino.”

She had to stop herself from reflexively making a face. “Nino… Hm. Nino, Nino, Nino… Do I know a Nino?”

“Stop that. You know I wouldn’t be calling you if it wasn’t important.”

Chloé continued walking down the sidewalk. “The only thing you’d be calling me about is something concerning Adrikins. Is he in trouble?”

“...Kind of?”

“Well, is he or isn’t he?” she snapped, causing a passer-by to flinch back from her. “Stop wasting my time with your vague answers.”

“Okay, jeez,” he answered. She heard him clear his throat. “This may sound weird, but do you know… Ladybug?”

That stopped Chloé in her tracks. “Ladybug?”

_“Just hurry up and put it in, alr— ah!”_

_She cut herself off with a yelp as something struck her across the ass._

_“Now, now, honey,” a silky voice said from somewhere behind her. “Bad girls don’t get rewarded.”_

“Heh — yeah, I thought not. Sorry, I’ll just—”

“Oh, my God, Lahiffe, of course I _know_ who she is. Do you really think there’s anyone that I _don’t_ know? Don’t you know who I am?”

“Yes, Chloé, you made sure everyone in school knew exactly who you are.”

“Good.” She started walking again. “So, what’s the problem?”

“Well, Adrien’s kind of… Started seeing her.”

“And you know this… How?”

There was a pause. “Well, first, he went up and introduced himself to her at the party a few weeks ago.”

Chloé raised an eyebrow, though she knew Nino couldn’t see it. “And he just _happened_ to know the keyword?”

“That’s… That’s not the point. Anyway, I tried to tell him what he was getting himself into, but he insisted on meeting her. And then… Well, he spent the night at my place last night, and when he was changing this morning, there were definitely some bite marks on his back.”

“I still don’t see what the problem is,” she huffed.

“Well… It’s… You know what she _does,_ right?”

“Yes, and…?”

“Oh, come on, Chloé, he’s going to—”

“Look, Lahiffe.” She quickly scanned the area for children. Finding none, she continued. “Adrien is legally consenting adult. If he decides he’s into getting tied up and all that jazz, that’s _his_ decision. Not mine, not his father’s, and _certainly_ not yours.”

“But—”

“But _nothing._ It’s not illegal. It’s just a different way of doing something that’s completely normal! You’re the only one making this weird. I suggest you stop. He had enough people trying to control his life growing up.”

Opting for the dramatic close, she hung up without waiting for an answer. After a moment of thought, she turned around. That outfit had looked good on the mannequin, but it would look better on her.

* * *

In another part of the city, Nino gave a frustrated groan.

“I can’t believe she hung up on me!”

He threw his phone across the bed before sprawling on his back. After a second of reflection, he scrambled up to retrieve it.

Nino: Hey, babe, do you happen to have another phase in getting Adrien and Mari together?

Her response was almost immediate.

Alya: Pfft. I have, like, fifty backup plans.   
Alya: Here’s what I need you to do.

* * *

After Marinette had gotten up and showered, she was considering her options for food. Too late for a proper breakfast, but too early for lunch…

Currently, she was stuck between scavenging something out of her pantry (she _really_ needed to go grocery shopping) and going out to a café to eat something by herself. Like a loser.

Or…

As she was grabbing her phone to text Alya, a message from her popped up with a small noise.

Alya: Hey, girl! You down to grab some food?

Marinette smiled as she opened the message.

Mari: Holy shit, we’ve achieved telepathy. I was just about to ask the same thing.   
Alya: Danggg!    
Alya: How about the sandwich place down the street from Dupont, for old times’ sakes?   
Mari: Sounds good. How soon will you be there?   
Alya: How does eleven sound?   
Mari: Perfect! See you then!

* * *

At ten fifty-eight, Marinette was opening the doors to the shop. She decided to wait until Alya showed up so they could order together, and stepped to the side so she wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that she realized someone was doing the same thing on the other side of the doors.

“Adrien?”

He looked up from his phone, a smile replacing the curiosity on his face.

“Hey, princess!”

She unconsciously took a step towards him, her mind going into overdrive as she tried to reason out why he was here. It’s not like his apartment was _that_ close.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Nino and I were planning on meeting up for an early lunch. How about you?”

“Alya and I were—” She felt her phone vibrate once in her back pocket. “—also meeting here.”

She pulled out her phone to glance at the text.

Alya: ;) <3 :* 

Marinette sighed. “Never mind. Alya isn’t coming. Something tells me Nino isn’t, either.”

A ding from Adrien’s phone a second later confirmed it.

“Well…” Adrien’s cheeks were tinted pink, for some reason. “While you and I are here, do you maybe want to grab some food with me, instead?”

Marinette’s smile was a bit too tight to be genuine. “Yeah, sure.”

After they ordered at the counter and received their number, they decided on a booth near the windows. It was silent for a few seconds.

“Okay, look,” Marinette started, taking a deep breath. “This is going to be kind of weird, and I’m sorry, but since this is involving you, I feel like you should know.”

Adrien blinked. “...Okay? Is something wrong?”

“It’s just…” She ran her hand through her hair. “Here’s the thing. Alya thinks I should be, well, putting myself out there a little more. Like, dating-wise. And she thinks that you’d be good for me, or whatever. And I’m not saying that you’re not, you’re a great guy, I swear, but I just don’t have the _time_ right now, and she doesn’t seem to understand that. So us being here was definitely intentional, and I’m _so_ sorry, but I know her, and she’s _definitely_ going to be pulling more stuff like this, and—”

“Hey.”

When she finally met his eyes again, he didn’t have the expression she thought he’d have. In fact, he almost looked… Relieved?

“...Yeah?”

“I don’t think this is weird at all. Actually, I was about to tell you the same thing, just with Nino and me.”

“He’s doing this to you, too?”

“Yep.” Adrien popped the ‘p’ before sighing. “Sounds to me like we have some great friends.”

“What’s your reason?”

“My reason for what?”

“Not dating. I don’t have the time, but what about you?”

“Well…” Was he blushing again? “There _is_ someone else, technically, but… It’s complicated. For reasons I won’t get into. Nino doesn’t exactly approve of her.”

“Ah.”

They lapsed back into silence, only broken by ‘thank you’s when a waitress brought their food to them.

“So, I _may_ have a solution,” Adrien mused when they were a couple bits into their sandwiches.

“What is it?”

“What if we gave Alya and Nino what they want?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “You mean… We start dating?”

“Well, not really,” he said. “We don’t have to _actually_ do anything, but… If they think we’re dating, they’ll get off our backs about dating, you know?”

“Hm.” Marinette took another bite as she thought about it. “What about, like, PDA and stuff?”

“We could just tell them that we can’t act like a couple in public because of my status. We wouldn’t want the press after us… Or you.”

Marinette found herself nodding. “That… That could work. We’d only really have to fake in in front of Alya and Nino. And I’d be fine with that, if… If you are.”

He shot her a smirk. “Trust me, no complaints on this end.” Now, it was her turn to blush. “But…”

“Yes?”

“Well, it wouldn’t exactly look all that great if I’m dating a girl who’s name I _still_ don’t know.”

“So true,” she replied, leaning back against the seat. “How about I take pity on you and give you an M for coming up with this idea?”

“M…” Adrien caught his lower lip between his teeth as he thought about it. Marinette found it more distracting than she cared to admit. “Did… Did you parents name you after Marianne?”

“What?” Her eyebrows furrowed briefly before her expression smoothed again. “No, no. You were close, though. Try again.”

“Mari…” He was watching her expression carefully, and when she didn’t try and stop him, he continued dragging out the sound. “...nette?”

She set down her sandwich so she could quietly applaud. “And he finally gets it! Congratulations, Monsieur,” she said, bowing as dramatically as she could while sitting down with a table in the way.

“Marinette,” he repeated, and she couldn’t help the warm feeling that she got as he said her name. He reached across the table to take one of her hands in his. “Will you make me the happiest man in Paris and be my fake girlfriend?”

“Just in Paris?” she asked with a coy smile. “I guess I can do that, for someone cute as you.”

What exactly had she signed herself up for?

* * *

“I told you this would work!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

A ten-euro bill was slid across the table.

“Who’s the best?”

“You’re the best, babe.”

Alya preened happily as she responded to her best friend. Across the table, Nino was definitely relieved, despite his apparent coolness.

“Ooh, they even have another date already planned! His furniture is coming in tomorrow, and she said she’d help him organize it all.”

“I don’t think that’s a date, hon.”

“Oh, hush. Let me have this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand there we have it! Let me know what you think, and I'll try to have the next chapter up sooner than another two months!
> 
> Also. In something else I wrote with this kind of text formatting (aka the pesterlogs) there was a problem with people with color blindness being able to differentiate between the texts. Is that an issue at all with the colors I've chosen for this? I've added names to try and help with that , but if anyone's having trouble, please let me know what I can do to help!


	7. Lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed some fluff after that last work I posted. Sue me.

Fake dating Adrien Agreste was surprisingly easier than she’d thought it would be. They’d agreed that they wanted to ‘take it slow,’ so there wasn’t even that much PDA required around Alya and Nino.

All she had to do was sit next to him, lean on his shoulder, snuggle closer when he looped an arm around her, make sure her expression was nothing short of affectionate when she looked at him…

It was nice to be able to have such casual contact with him. Nothing pre-planned, or with some ulterior motive, or end-game involving the bedroom. With Adrien, she could pretend this was something real, that he was someone who would want her even when her guard was down. 

He made it easy, too; he was a natural at perfecting his expressions.

Sometimes, Marinette didn’t even remind herself of all the reasons why she couldn’t  _ actually _ start liking him. Those would come later, at night, when she put her mask on.

The guy who had gone from ‘Blue and Gold’ to ‘Only Respond if Necessary’ in her phone was being a nuisance. Again.

_ “Bonsoir, _ Ladybug,” he said as she stepped back, letting him into the apartment. He turned to face her and, with a flourish, produced a box of high-end chocolate from behind his back. They were accompanied by a half-dozen roses. “For you,  _ ma belle.” _

“Why, thank you,” she replied with all of her usual (fake) enthusiasm. The smile that he gave her showed no sign of noticing the falseness of it as she made her way to the kitchen and set the gifts on her counter. 

The flowers, she wouldn’t feel bad about getting rid of, but the chocolates… 

Looks like it was time for another ‘study session’ with ‘Roselyn.’

“How about, as a reward, you can go pick out three toys we’ll use tonight,” she said, not turning to face him.

He hesitated slightly before speaking again. “And what if I would prefer a reward in the form of a dinner out with you?”

She didn’t try to hide the way her hands curled into fists against the counter. Her tone was much gentler than her body language, though.  _ “Chéri, _ you know my policy. I have made it explicitly clear that I will not meet with you or  _ any _ of my clients outside of this apartment or at the masquerade balls.”

“Yes, but—”

“But nothing.” She turned her head to look at him. “You knew what you were getting into here. Now, you can either go into the bedroom and we can put this behind us, or you can leave and I’ll give this appointment to someone else.”

She kept her head high even as his ducked lower. He was a taller man, too, but her confidence made him draw into himself, making him appear small as he sighed. “Yes, Mistress.”

When he left that evening, his envelope had an additional three hundred euros in it, as well as a note that simply said, ‘Think about it.’

* * *

Marinette would help Adrien with his apartment in the afternoons, when she could. It took them two weeks to get the walls painted and the furniture arranged — “It’ll be more rewarding if you do it yourself, you know,” — and now, all that was left was finding the little decorations, the little personalized touches that helped make a house a home.

Which is how Marinette came to the realization that Adrien was obsessed with cats. 

Like. Weirdly obsessed.

Marinette wanted a pet, too, but that didn’t mean that she just jumped at every opportunity to get something dog-themed when she needed to buy a clock.

“But, Mari, look! It’s got little cat ears!”

It didn’t help that when she told Alya about this, her friend was so proud that they were already arguing like a married couple.

“Adrien, we’ve already painted the living room. This does not go with  _ anything _ in the living room.”

“Then I’ll get it for my bedroom.”

“You already have a clock for your bedroom. And no, you can’t move that one to the living room, the wood is too light to match the furniture.”

“What about the bathroom?”

“You already have a cat-themed clock for your bathroom.”

“Damn.”

She could tell Adrien was about to suggest something else, like the kitchen, so she spoke before he could.

“Jeez, why don’t you just like… I don’t know… Get an actual cat?”

His response was immediate. “No, I can’t, my father—” He stopped himself there as his eyes slowly widened. “Holy shit, Mari, I can get a cat!”

Half an hour later, Marinette was talking to one of the volunteers while Adrien was excitedly looking inside each and every cage the animal shelter had for cats.

And yes, before you ask, the neon green cat clock was in the bag she was carrying.

“Yep! That’s everything you’ll need — for basic survival, of course. But judging by your boyfriend’s enthusiasm —” Here, Marinette had to bite back a ‘not my boyfriend!’ “— whatever cat you end up choosing will be nothing short of spoiled.”

“I won’t be surprised if he ends up spending more on the cat than me,” she laughed.

“Oh, Mari, come look at this one!”

With an apologetic look to the volunteer, she walked across the room to where Adrien was standing with his hand partially in between the bars on the cage. Inside, a small black cat was on his back, playfully batting at Adrien’s fingertips.

“Isn’t he perfect?”

Marinette looked at the information card taped to the front. His name was Plagg, which was unusual, but whatever. Eight months old, house trained, super social...

“Yeah, we’ve had him for a while. He’s been a little hard to find a home for. He was actually abandoned here with some of his siblings when they were a month and a half old. The rest went within two months.”

The heartbreak was evident on Adrien’s face. Marinette was sure he was about to ask where the adoption papers were, so she cut in.

“What’s made him so difficult? Is he sick or something?”

“No, it’s just… Well, you know people, and how superstition casts black cats as bad luck. Even for people who don’t give in to that kind of stuff, other cats have just become more normalized.”

Adrien’s expression was more resolved with every passing second, but his eyes were hopeful as opposed to determined when he looked back to Marinette.

With a playful sigh, she smiled. “I don’t think anything I say will stop you at this point, will it?” she asked.

“Nope,” he grinned in reply, popping his lips on the word. 

Twenty minutes later, they were walking down a street, Adrien holding a carrier with Plagg inside and Marinette holding a handout with directions to a pet supply store the volunteer recommended. 

Adrien felt ridiculously happy — childishly happy, even. He’d loved the idea of a pet for a long time, now, and who could blame him? The idea of having someone to bestow unconditional love upon (and get the same in return), someone to make the house — well, his apartment, now — a little less lonely, not to mention just how  _ cute _ pets are… Yeah, he’d been dreaming of this day for years. 

Not for the first time since leaving the shelter (five minutes ago), Adrien raised the carrier so it was level with his eyes. Plagg was huddled against the back edge but blinked calmly at Adrien. “It’s okay, little buddy. We’re just gonna get a few things for you really quick and then we’ll go home, okay?”

Plagg just continued blinking at him.

“Alright, if you two are done, the store should be just up here on the left.”

Adrien missed the look Marinette was giving him as he returned the carrier back to a normal level and eagerly looked ahead. His pace increased when he caught sight of the two windows filled with pet-related toys.

A worker greeted them as they walked in.

“Hello, welcome to Pet—”

“Good morning!” Adrien responded happily, apparently not even noticing that he’d cut her off. He was already showing Plagg off, all but shoving the carrier in the worker’s face, but she was taking it in stride. 

“Oh, goodness, what a cutie! He’s certainly very lucky to have someone like you as a new owner. Is this your first time with a cat?”

“First time with any pet, actually,” Marinette cut in. “The volunteer at the shelter gave us a list of what we need, but is there anyone here who can help us with brands and stuff?”

“Yes, actually, just give me a second.” She pulled out a walkie-talkie and pressed the button. “Kate, can you come to the front? There’s some new cat owners who need some advice.”

There was a muffled confirmation from the other end, and ten seconds later, a woman they assumed to be Kate emerged from the end of an aisle.

“Oh, hello! You must be the new cat owners? What’s the little guy’s name?”

Adrien and Kate quickly bonded over how adorable Plagg was, and Kate even commented on the fact that he was a black cat — was it  _ really _ that much of a problem? Marinette had never realized. 

It wasn’t until they had a large bag of dry food, the litter box, the actual box of litter, a scratching post, and other odds and ends that Marinette tapped Adrien on the shoulder, interrupting his testing out several cat toys on Plagg.

“Are you planning on us carrying all of this back home?”

Adrien quickly glanced over the cart and pulled a face. He pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to her. “Could you call Nino and ask him to pick us up?”

“Sure thing,” she replied, taking his phone and opening up the contacts list.

He had more than a few, but not to the point where it was cluttered. There were a few nicknames — Chloekins! *gag* — and a few that were more cryptic than anything else — he had his father simply listed as ‘Gabriel,’ and there was someone he only had as LB — but she smiled when she saw the crown emoji next to her name. After getting to the ‘N’ section, though, she had to get his attention again.

“What’s his name in your phone? He’s not listed here.”

“Oh, sorry, it’s DJ Bubbler.”

Marinette scrolled back up and found him. He picked up on the second ring with a “Hey, dude!”

“Hey, Nino. It’s Marinette!”

“Oh, Mari, hey!”

She heard her name in the background, and seconds later, Alya was on the phone.

“Hey, girl! What’s up?”

_ Oh, my God, why does this happen to me? I’m a good person!  _ “Hey, Alya! I was actually just calling to see if Nino could come pick me and Adrien up?”

“Why do you guys need to get picked up?”

Marinette nervously ran a hand through her hair. “Well, we were out looking for some stuff for his apartment and, well… He may have adopted a cat and now we’re at the store getting the stuff for it and there’s a lot of stuff and we won’t be able to carry it back and —”

“Oh, my  _ God!  _ You guys are  _ so _ MARRIED!”

Marinette’s cheeks turned pinker as Alya’s squeal turned loud enough to be heard by Adrien, who looked over curiously. She just mouthed Alya’s name and waved her hand. Thankfully, he understood.

“Of  _ course _ Nino and I can come pick you up, right Nino?” There was a mumble on the other end of the line. “Just text me your location and we’ll be right over.”

“Thanks, Alya, you’re a lifesaver.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As GwennhaduBug put it so eloquently in today's update of [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15862494/chapters/37536707) amazing fic, "'Adopt a black cat today!' And then, Nino dabbed."
> 
> Anyway. I feel like this has _just_ enough plot to not be labelled 'filler,' but I promise the next chapter is _bound_ to be more entertaining ;)


	8. Asking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm uploading this without proofreading bc i'm tired of looking at it. if it seems disjointed, it's bc i had to come back to it like twenty times bc Mari's side in this whole thing doesn't really come naturally to me. I'm trying, though. I'll go back through this tomorrow when I have fresh eyes <3 
> 
> this chapter contains explicit sexual content! enjoy, sinners.

Saturday came around, as it did, and Marinette was up early, for once. It may have had to do with the fact that Alya and Nino had something planned the previous night and Adrien had a sunset photoshoot, so Marinette was able to go to bed at a reasonable hour for the first time in a while.

She found herself reaching for her phone as her brain became more functional.

Mari: Good morning!

She didn’t have to wait too long for a reply.

Adrien: ...Up before eight? Who are you, and what did you do with Marinette?  
Mari: Ever the one for dramatics *eyeroll* Yes, I’m up early.  
Adrien: Not early. You’re up at the time that /normal human beings/ are up.  
Mari: You know what? I was going to ask you if you wanted to grab some coffee with me, but I think I’m changing my mind.  
Adrien: Aw, don’t be that way :3 You know you still want to hang out with me  
Mari: ...You know what? Change of plans. I’ll pick up coffee & come over? I wanna hang out with Plagg, too.  
Adrien: Something tells me this is going to end up with you and Plagg playing together and me, sitting in a corner, dying of old age and loneliness  
Mari: I’ll bring pastries from my parent’s bakery~  
Adrien: ...You have yourself a deal, princess

With newfound motivation, Marinette got ready and was on her way to the bakery in ten minutes’ time. She had to deal with some light teasing about being up so early as well as the fact that she was up early _to spend time with Adrien,_ but after a conversation involving a lot of blushing and protestations, she was allowed to leave with a small box of pastries.

After a quick stop at her usual coffee place for a _café crème_ and Adrien’s black coffee, she took the short metro ride to two blocks down from his apartment and walked the rest of the way, praying that she wouldn’t drop the box or the carrier.

She was never more grateful that his apartment had an elevator, and an impressive display of balance and flexibility (for her, anyway) allowed her to ring his doorbell with her foot so she didn’t have to set anything down or worry about balancing it on an arm. He opened the door within ten seconds, Plagg already cuddled up in his arms.

“Hey, there, Mari!”

“Hey, Adrien!”

He let her in and she set her stuff down on the kitchen counter. They fell into easy conversation, passing Plagg back and forth every so often until he grew restless and was demanding to be set down.

Eventually, their conversation made its way to their friends, and, naturally, to their own relationship. Or lack thereof.

“I don’t know, I mean… It’s been a few weeks, and we still haven’t kissed in front of them,” Marinette was saying. “Or, like at _all,_ of course, but _especially_ not in front of them, because that’s like the whole _point,_ and—”

“Relax, Mari, I understand what you meant,” Adrien laughed in reply.

Marinette gave him a grateful look. “I just don’t want to be put on the spot with Alya. Like if she just casually asks me if we’ve gotten there yet, you know? Or if we just start casually kissing in front of them and they ask when that started. And, of course, I don’t want to make _you_ uncomfortable.”

Adrien snorted. “Marinette, you’re not going to make me uncomfortable by kissing me. I promise. As for the whole ‘starting’ thing… Well, I’ve got an idea, but first, is there anything that would make _you_ uncomfortable?”

Marinette had to stop herself from laughing. “Nope. I can handle just about anything.”

“Great. So I was thinking if we staged a make-out scene for them to walk in on, it would kind of be like one big thing to start it off. Alya and Nino would think we’re doing that stuff in private, and it would make casual kissing seem like nothing when we’re with them in the future.”

Marinette nodded, forcing herself to stay on-track with the conversation rather than the track it _wanted_ to take at that suggestion. Namely, pushing Adrien up against a wall and claiming his lips with her own. But she wouldn’t think about that. Nope. “Yeah, that could definitely work. Uh, when would you want to do that?”

Adrien thought about it for a moment. “Would tomorrow night be too soon? We could invite them over for dinner to celebrate the fact that the apartment is ready.”

“That’s not too soon. I’d actually rather have it be sooner than later, just so it gives Alya less of a window, you know?”

“Then it’s a date,” he said with a wink. “Now, all we have to think of is a menu…”

At eleven, Marinette said her goodbyes to Adrien and Plagg, who had returned for more cuddles, and left to start getting ready. It had taken her a couple of trips to her ‘office’ via the metro station to realize that it was close enough to Adrien’s apartment to walk. It was about a kilometer away, much quicker than having to walk back to the station, the wait for it to actually _come,_ then the walk from that station to the apartment.

During the walk, she thought about her plan for her session with Chat. She had a little surprise for him that she couldn’t _wait_ to show him. She really hoped he’d like it.

The minutes flew by as she got ready. In the weeks she’d been seeing him, he seemed to respond differently depending on what kind of look she had on; if she was in reds and blacks, he was quicker at following her orders, but seemed to barely be able to keep himself under control. If she was in softer colors, his whole demeanor was more submissive, but he was definitely more eager to please. She hadn’t experimented with blindfolding him yet, but it was good to know for now that he had a good response to visual stimuli.

Today, she dressed in a rose-gold colored lace bralette and matching panties. She covered it with a simple black dress with a square neckline and three-quarters sleeves that ended about halfway down her thighs. She left her hair down and finished the look with kitten heels that matched her lingerie.

Ten minutes before he was due to arrive, she pulled out his surprise and put it in a small black bag with neon green tissue paper and placed it in the middle of the bed.

It felt like barely any time had passed at all before she heard his knocks at the door. She slipped her mask on and eagerly made her way over, but forced her steps to be slow and steady, just in case he was listening for them. She smoothed her skirt down once before unlocking the door and opening it for him.

“Hey, there, kitty.” She smiled as she held out her hand. It may have seemed a bit silly to her at first, but now, the way that Chat reverently kissed the back of her hand at the start of their session was just another thing to look forward to.

“Good afternoon, my Lady,” he replied. “You’re looking beautiful, as always.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, _chaton,”_ she laughed, reaching up to gently flick his nose. It was hard for her to stand still as he closed the door behind him, but she was able to keep her legs from wiggling too much until the lock slid back into place. “Alright, before we get started, I have something for you.”

She reached forward and grabbed his hand to lead him into the bedroom, only pausing to let him set the envelope containing his payment on the arm of her chair in the living room. As she hopped up onto the bed, she motioned for him to do the same.

“Okay, so if you don’t like it, just tell me. We don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, but… Well, you’ll see. Go on, open it!”

Her excitement seemed to be contagious; he was smiling, too, as he reached for the bag. He removed the tissue paper and looked inside. Ladybug had to keep herself from biting her lip nervously as he pulled out the strip of black leather inside.

“It’s a collar,” she supplied for him at his momentarily confused expression.

“Oh,” he breathed in understanding as he took in the details. She sighed in relief as his face shifted towards a smile. “This is beautiful, Ladybug. Where did you get it?”

“I made it.” She scooted closer to him. “I told you I’m studying fashion, right? Leather’s kind of tricky, so I have to work with it every once in a while so I don’t lose my touch and, well, I thought you would like something personalized.”

She’d spent a bit longer on it than she normally would have for a simple collar, but she’d wanted to embroider a few ladybugs and cat paws into the material, which led to her also spelling out _‘mon chaton’_ in cursive in the center.

“I love it,” he said, and when he looked up at her again, she could have sworn she saw literal stars in his eyes. “Can you put it on me?”

“I will after you take my dress off,” she replied, already sliding off the bed and presenting her back to him. She held her hair to the side as she felt his fingers carefully find the zipper and pull it down.

Goosebumps broke out across her skin as he pushed the material off her shoulders and down her arms, then she felt the chill of the air on her bare skin. She turned back to him with a smile.

“Middle of the bed, on your knees,” she said.

He got into the position within seconds as she watched proudly. He’d picked up the pose relatively quickly after the second time, which she was grateful for. Some men didn’t take well to learning that kind of thing, but she figured if Chat kept coming back, she could teach him quite a few positions. He was a fast learner.

She grabbed the collar from where he’d set it down to undress her and crawled across the bed until she was straddling one of his legs. “Tell me if I’m making it too tight, okay?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

She grabbed his hands and moved them to her waist. His thumbs started stroking her skin as she ran the length of the collar against his neck. She centered the writing, then moved her hands to the back to secure it. She knew Chat was staring at her, but she kept her own eyes on her task. When she was done, she sat back to admire it.

“It’s a good look on you, kitty.” She finally made eye contact with him again. “Tell me honestly: how does it feel?”

“Really good. It, uhm…” He trailed off, looking down and to the side as his fingertips pressed slightly into her skin.

Ladybug grabbed his chin and tilted it back up with a soft smile, making him look her in the eyes again. “What was that? Speak clearly when you’re talking to me.”

Chat blinked quickly a few times before he opened his mouth again. If Ladybug had broken the eye contact to look at the rest of his face, she would have noticed the blush creeping down from the edge of his mask. “It makes me feel more like I’m yours.”

“Good boy.” She rewarded him with a kiss on his cheek. “I like it when you feel like you’re mine.” She placed another kiss on his other cheek, then moved to his ear. “What’s your safeword, kitty?”

“Camembert,” he automatically replied.

“And you’ll use it if you need to, right?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“Good.” She leaned back so she could give him an appraising look. “Now, I’m feeling a bit underdressed. How do you suppose I should fix that?”

His hands slipped an inch down. “You could have fooled me, my Lady; I didn’t know there was anything _to_ fix about that.” She noted the way he seemed to be fighting to keep his gaze from travelling down.

“I can’t seem to tell if you’re being cheeky right now or if you’re just eager to please,” she mused, tilting her head, “But either way, it’s _really_ cute that you think I don’t want to play with my favorite pet after a whole week.”

Oops. She hadn’t meant to admit that out loud. Hopefully, he’d just brush it off as one of those things she ‘says to everyone.’

She moved her hands to his shoulders and dragged them down his chest and over his stomach until they were resting on his hips.

“So, _chaton,_ how should I fix the teensy-tiny issue of me being underdressed?”

“Well, you could… You could take my shirt off,” he said. Even after a few weeks, he was still blushing when she had him ask for things. It was _cute,_ she had to admit, and she really hoped he wouldn’t be stopping any time soon, as much as she would like to correct that behavior.

He was _awful_ about asking for things, she quickly found out — especially things that would lead to his own pleasure. He was more than eager to ask for permission to touch her, to make _her_ feel good, but for himself… Well, they had time to work on that.

“I could _definitely_ do that.” She slipped her hands under the hem of the shirt and traced up his sides to lift it up. “Could you raise your arms for me?”

He complied immediately, and Ladybug finished removing his shirt before tossing it to the side. She flattened her palms against his chest and gently massaged the area in small circles.

“That’s much better. You can put your hands back on my waist, if you’d like.” He did, as she’d expected. “Can I leave marks this week?”

 _“Please_ do,” he groaned.

Ladybug hummed. “Someone’s eager to get all marked up, is he?” Her tone dipped into something with a patronizing lilt to it, but he’d loved it when she used it in the past. “Did he miss seeing that he was _mine_ last week when I couldn’t mark him?”

He hissed out an affirmative as Ladybug leaned in closer, ghosting her lips down the side of his neck. She let the tip of her tongue trace his skin as she went back up to his ear.

“Oh, but my kitty is still overdressed, isn’t he?”

His fingers flexed against her waist. She smirked and refrained from prompting him.

“Can… Can you please t-take my pants off?”

“Of course I can.” She left a kiss on the corner of his jaw. “Lay down on your back, hands at your sides.”

She shifted backwards to give him the room to do so. When he was in position, she swung a leg over his hips so she was straddling him. Starting at his collarbone, she kissed a slow line down his torso, ending right below his navel. She paused to run a hand over the growing bulge in his pants, watching as he clenched his hands into fists at the action.

She raised herself back up onto her knees and moved her hands to his waistband. She quickly undid the button and zipper, then asked him to raise his hips. Within moments, his pants were on the floor and she was straddling his hips again.

“Much better,” she sighed, planting her hands on the mattress above his shoulders. “Now we’re even.”

“I mean…” Chat’s eyes flicked downwards, taking in the view she was presenting him with. “All due respect, my Lady, but now you’re wearing one more piece of clothing than I am.”

“Aw, kitty, have you forgotten your collar so easily?” She pushed out her bottom lip in a pout and shifted her weight to one hand so she could trace a finger along the leather. “Maybe I should add a bell to help with that.”

“I didn’t forget, my Lady,” Chat replied, his breath hitching as her finger moved from the collar to his skin, tracing a line down his chest. “I meant that in terms of things we have to take off.”

“Oh, did you?” she asked. “Well, I guess in that case, you deserve a reward for being so observant.”

Ladybug sat up. She lifted the hand that had been supporting her weight, but kept the one on his chest there. She moved her free hand to the bow in the middle of her bralette and slowly tugged at one of the sides of the ribbon. As it came undone, she watched Chat’s expression lock on the movement.

“Do you wanna finish this for me, kitty?” she asked. When he nodded without a word, she giggled. “Then do it.”

Chat’s eyes widened almost comically as they flickered between her eyes and her chest. At some point, he must have decided that she was being serious, because his hands shifted up to her chest, sliding underneath the material. Ladybug gave him a soft smile as his fingertips traced over her skin before they moved to the sides to push the straps off her shoulders.

Ladybug moved her arms out of the straps and let the bralette fall somewhere behind her. Chat’s hands were hovering an inch away from her skin. He looked like he wasn’t sure if he was able to continue touching her, but really wanted to.

She took his hands in hers and leaned forward again, pressing his hands into the mattress above his head. It would be so natural to just dip her head a _little_ bit more and kiss him…

But she turned her head and let her lips trail along his jawline instead. She did promise some marks, after all.

“Relax, kitty,” she whispered. “Have I ever left you less than completely satisfied?”

“No, my Lady.” His voice sounded a bit strangled as she kissed her way down his neck, pausing briefly to pull at his collar with her teeth before she ran her tongue along the hollow behind his collarbone.

His arms flexed underneath her grip, and she was reminded of just how well-muscled he was (not that her vision wasn’t picking that up) and how willingly he was putting himself in her control. It wasn’t often something that caused a flash of heat to run downwards, but she’d already accepted that Chat was a special case.

She wanted to continue her path downwards, but she couldn’t do that without letting go of his hands. Instead, she gave them a squeeze as she raised her head just enough to make eye contact with him.

“Think you can keep these up here for me, kitty?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“Good boy,” she said, then let her hands trail down his arms to his shoulders. She moved one so she was supporting herself on her elbow while the other one moved down his side, nails lightly scraping his skin. Goosebumps followed, and she smoothed them out with her palm before repeating the process.

She lowered her head back to his collarbone, running her tongue along the hollow again before continuing her path downwards to his chest. The shirt he’d been wearing had a slightly lower neck than a normal t-shirt, and she’d already taken note of where she could or couldn’t leave a mark.

So, just on the line of where it would or wouldn’t be visible, she planted a brief kiss before dragging her teeth along the skin. Hearing his gasp, she let her free hand begin to slowly drift downwards as she bit a little harder for a second before switching to sucking and licking the area instead.

His chest was rising and falling more rapidly underneath her, and she felt more than heard the hitch in his breath when her fingertips ghosted over the bulge in his underwear. She completed the mark, then moved her head to his other pec and sunk her teeth into his skin without preamble.

As he groaned, she pressed down on him with her palm. His arms jerked down, but shifted back up above his head a second later. She decided to ignore it in favor of darkening the mark she was working on.

A few moments later, she moved down again, but to duck her head down to the waistband of his boxers and run her tongue up his abdomen. His cock twitched underneath her palm. As he was getting worked up, a slight sheen of sweat was starting to form, and she reveled in the salty taste as she licked it off his skin.

She slowly started working him through the material, running her thumb over the increasingly damp spot where the tip was as she started a third mark right next to his navel.

Ladybug might have gotten a little carried away with the headiness of the taste of his skin and the way he responded so _beautifully_ as she left a rash of marks across his ribcage.

When she glanced up and could see how hard he was trying to keep his hands above his head, she decided to take some pity on him. She moved down one last time to place a kiss on the tip of his erection and then sat up.

Ladybug moved her hand from the now-straining material to the waistband, teasing it downwards. A desperate whine left Chat’s throat and she looked back up to his face, raising an eyebrow.

“Something wrong, kitty cat?” She hoped it wasn’t _too_ obvious in her voice how bad she wanted to give in to his silent plea and wreck him. A quick glance showed his knuckles turning white from how hard he was squeezing them. “Relax your hands and tell me what’s wrong.”

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as he slowly released the tension running up his arms. When he’d opened his hands to reveal indents where his nails had been pressing into his skin, she grabbed one of his wrists and brought it to her mouth so she could tenderly kiss his palm.

“Ladybug, _please,_ I need you to touch me.” The words were half-whisper, half-groan, and as Ladybug looked into his eyes, she saw the sheer desperation in his eyes.

“All right. Take off your underwear for me.” As he complied, she got off the bed and opened a drawer on the hutch, pulling out a flavored condom. “You can move your arms, but you’re not allowed to touch me, okay? If you want your cuffs, you’ll have to ask me really nicely for them.”

She set the wrapper down next to his hips and settled herself between his legs. As she wrapped her hand around his base, she tilted her head to the side and kissed his thigh. After only a moment of hesitation, her desire to leave one more mark on him won out. She slowly started pumping him as her lips and teeth worked his skin, turning it a delightful shade of red.

When she was done, she glanced up and saw his hands all tangled in his hair. She couldn’t see the top of his head, but she was willing to bet his clip-in cat ears were barely holding on.

Her eyes took their time trailing back down his body as she reached for the condom, admiring the red skin that she knew would be turning a darker purple later on. Maybe she’d been a tad overzealous with marking him, but he hadn’t seemed to mind, and some small part of her liked knowing that he’d be walking around with those marks all week.

She quickly tore open the foil package and removed the condom, pinching the tip before smoothing it down over the rest of his erection. She kicked her feet up behind her and started idly moving them back and forth.

When he’d composed himself enough to look down to see why she’d stopped, she winked before leaning forward and licking a slow stripe up the underside of his cock.

“Mmm, lime’s my _favorite.”_

She heard a strangled noise come from the general direction of his head, and with a smirk, she moved her hand to his base to hold him steady as she took his tip in her mouth. She let her tongue swirl in a circle around him, taking her time toying with him as her mouth adjusted around him.

Ladybug draped her free arm across his hips to keep them from bucking up too much. She slowly started bobbing up and down, taking him in a little further each time. The noises Chat was making were letting her know that he most likely wouldn’t last too long.

As she was able to take in more and more of his length, she moved the hand that had been wrapped around his base to the smooth patch of skin between his thighs. She rubbed her thumb in a circle there, gently massaging the area, as she added a slight twisting motion with her head that was exaggerated with her tongue.

The effect was immediate. Chat’s thighs flexed on either side of her and his moans became sharper. She smiled as much as she could around his cock and increased the pressure of her thumb and her tongue.

“Fuck, _Ladybug,_ I—I—”

She released him from her mouth and blew gently over the latex. Chat _whined._

“Come for me, kitty cat.”

She took him inside her mouth again and it was only a few seconds later that his cock was throbbing, filling the condom with his release. Ladybug kept applying a light suction through his orgasm, until he was lying boneless beneath her.

As he recovered, she removed the condom and tied it off, then slid off the bed so she could throw it away in the bathroom trash can. As her feet hit the floor, though, her own arousal came flooding back to her and she involuntarily whimpered. Hopefully, he was too out of it to hear.

She did her best to shove it to the back of her mind with the thoughts of spending some quality time with her favorite vibrator after Chat had left.

When she returned to the bed, Chat was looking at her with slightly more focus in his eyes. She crawled back next to him and opened her arms for him to cuddle up to her.

“How was that, kitty?” she asked, carding her fingers through his hair.

“Spectacular, as always, my Lady,” he sighed. “You didn’t finish though.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I can take care of myself.”

He tilted his head up to look at her. “I like making you come, though.”

She blinked. “I—It’s really fine.”

He must have heard the hesitation in her voice, though, because he raised himself up on an elbow. “Please, my Lady, will you let me eat you out?”

Her legs were already parting. “Well, since you asked so nicely…”

* * *

“So, Ladybug, before I go, I have a question.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“So… I have this _situation,_ I guess, and it’s hard to explain, but there’s this girl and I have this deal with her, and part of it is that we’re going to be kissing and… Well, I guess I just wanted to make sure that was okay with you.”

Ladybug was silent for a moment. “Chat, you _do_ realize that most men who come to see me are _married,_ right?”

“Well, _yes,_ of course I know that, it’s just—” His face was steadily turning redder beneath the mask, but Ladybug let him organize his thoughts on his own. “I guess I would feel better about it if there were some rules.”

“I can do rules,” she smiled. “Number one: don’t let her see my marks. Two, don’t let her mark you. And three,” and here she stepped closer to him and ran her finger up his chin, “Remember that you’re _mine._ Don’t give up your control to her. Got it?”

Chat grinned at her. “I can do that, my Lady.”

“Good.” She stepped back. “I’ll see you next week.”


	9. Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for 100+ subscriptions :') y'all are the best

“Are you sure about this?”

The dinner they’d prepared was in the oven, everything all set and ready to go. Alya and Nino had said they’d arrive in five minutes, but they were never exactly on time.

“It’s definitely going to convince her… But I understand if you don’t want to—”

“That’s  _ not _ the problem,” Marinette cut in before she could stop herself. Two seconds later, her cheeks were a brilliant red and she was clearing her throat. “I—I mean, it’s not a problem. I was just, uhm, I was thinking more about  _ you _ not wanting to do this, I guess. I mean, I’m the one who doesn’t have the time to date. You said there’s a… Someone else. And I don’t want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable, you know?”

“Marinette,” Adrien drawled, and she couldn’t deny the way her heart still fluttered when he said her name, “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t comfortable with it. Like I said, my someone else is complicated. That’s why we’re helping each other out, right?”

Marinette nodded as he stepped closer. When he traced a finger along her jaw towards her chin, her breath caught in her throat. She followed the gentle push, tilting her head up towards his.

“Do you want to kiss me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Then there isn’t a problem.”

Her eyes slid shut as he closed the distance between them, head tilted just enough that they wouldn’t bump noses as their lips connected.

She couldn’t stop the shiver that went down her spine.  _ God, _ it had been so long since she had just been kissed, simply kissed. It didn’t mean that she didn’t notice the way Adrien’s lips tightened, like he was trying to suppress a smirk as he felt the slight tremor. 

His free hand made its way to her hip, fingertips digging in just enough for her to feel them, and this was  _ definitely _ the worst thing she’d ever agreed to, because she didn’t know if she’d be able to go back to what they’d had before. 

So, naturally, she wanted to make it worse.

She broke the kiss, only taking a second to find her voice again, and stood on her toes to reach his ear.

“I haven’t texted Alya in over ten minutes. Do you really think we’d still be standing after that long?”

He caught on quickly. “Couch?”

She nodded. She only got a second’s warning in the form of a mischievous glint in his eye before he ducked down and wrapped his arms around the tops of her thighs, then picked her up with ease. It took everything in her not to squeal, but a small noise did escape her.

He was definitely trying not to laugh at her, and he was  _ definitely _ opening his mouth to tease her about it, so she decided to take control of the situation by tilting her head down and claiming his mouth again. She felt his hands shift underneath her as he walked, fingers splayed across her ass, and she’d be lying if she denied a small moan at the feeling.

Before she knew it, he was sitting on the couch and she was straddling his hips as he shamelessly groped her ass. Part of her was wishing she wore a skirt, just to see if he’d slip his hands underneath, but… Well, she hadn’t planned on getting  _ that _ into it so soon.

That didn’t mean there was nothing else to be done, though.

She broke the kiss again, pulling back just enough to look him in the eye. “Wanna  _ really _ give her a heart attack?”

“What do you have in mind?”

Instead of replying, she reached down and pulled the hem of her shirt up. As it cleared her head and she threw it to the side, she leaned back slightly and was rewarded with his admiring gaze trailing down.

_ “Fuck, _ Mari, I’m the luckiest fake boyfriend in the world.”

Marinette grabbed one of his hands and moved it up to her waist. “Aren’t you, though?”

His grip tightened. “You said you want to give her a heart attack, yes?”

“Do you have something else?”

Not two seconds later, she was on her back, hands pinned above her head, with one of his thighs pressed between her own.

“How’s this?” asked Adrien before he leaned down to kiss along her jaw.

“Perfect,” she giggled. “You’ve even got some physical evidence.” She shifted her thigh up, pressing it against the half-hard bulge in his jeans. His kisses came to a stop as he reached her ear.

“Are you  _ really _ trying to tell me that you’re not even a little turned on right now?” She could have sworn his voice dropped an octave as he slowly rubbed his leg between hers, and she gasped at the feeling. “That’s what I thought.”

“I hope you won’t let it get to your head,  _ Adrikins. _ You are kind of a literal supermodel.”

“Don’t go killing the mood, now.” He pulled back enough that she could see him roll his eyes as she snickered. “I just might have to get creative with ways to shut you up.”

_ Fuck. _ A wave of heat ran through her as she simultaneously broke out in goosebumps. Somehow, she was able to keep it together enough to talk. “Ooh, Mr. Agreste’s getting  _ kinky, _ now, is he?”

“I’ve got an  _ excellent _ teacher,” he replied with a wink. She didn’t have much time to ponder the meaning behind that as a second later, his mouth was tracing a line along the edge of her bra. It wasn’t until the third time he gently nipped her skin that she remembered.

“No marks.” It was more a gasp than a spoken request, but he heard it and hummed his acknowledgement against her skin. 

He moved both of her wrists into his right hand so he could move his left down her side and trace patterns into her skin with his fingertips. “Think you can keep your hands there for me, princess?”

The words lingered in the back of her head for half a second, something familiar about them begging for recognition. Then, his fingers brushed over a particularly sensitive part of her stomach, and that thought was overwhelmed by the present again.

“I… Yeah,” she sighed, and then the weight of him disappeared from her torso. She instinctively tried to reach for him to pull him back down, but instead, she twisted her wrists around so she could grip the arm of the couch to keep them up there.

She watched as he resettled further down her body. His elbows were on either side of her waist, holding him an inch above her stomach. He looked up, meeting her eyes, and the intensity in his gaze caused another flash of heat directly to her core. 

Slowly, giving her time to express discomfort or tell him to stop, he lowered his mouth to her chest. She only bit her lip in anticipation. 

Her bra was thin enough that she could feel the heat of his tongue as he traced a line across the cup. One of his hands moved to cover her other breast, kneading it while he began placing kisses seemingly everywhere except the place she wanted one most.

“Adrien…” 

She wasn’t sure if it was a sigh or a whine or a plea, but it worked. No sooner had his name left her mouth than his teeth closed around her nipple.  _ That _ noise was a moan. She was sure of it.

Marinette didn’t realize she’d dropped her hands to card her fingers through his hair until he pulled his head back to look at her again. She whimpered, trying to pull him back, but he raised an eyebrow and she remembered. 

Her hands went back above her head.

He smiled.

“Good girl.”

_ Fuck. _

Then, he dipped his head again, kissing along her ribcage to the center of her stomach. His tongue darted out, causing her to squirm underneath him as he moved lower and lower.

“If I’d known we’d be getting dinner  _ and _ a show, I would have been ready to go a  _ lot _ sooner.”

Alya.

Nino.

Dinner.

_...Fuck. _

* * *

 

After she’d put her shirt back on and the blushes had (mostly) faded, Marinette didn’t remember much about the dinner.

She’d spent most of it on autopilot, laughing when everyone else was, coming back for brief moments to answer questions, and methodically clearing her plate.

There was no doubt in her mind that it had worked. The smug looks from Alya proved as much. 

No, that wasn’t what she was worried about.

She had, against her better judgement,  _ liked _ it when Adrien had taken control. She wasn’t supposed to get all hot and bothered by him calling her a ‘good girl’ and threatening her with ways to shut her up.

She was  _ Ladybug, _ for crying out loud!

...Speaking of which, would this affect her ability to domme? Knowing she would also be perfectly happy as the one being under someone’s control?

She really hoped not. 

All too soon, the dessert plates had been cleared, Alya and Nino had left (not without some suggestive looks), and she and Adrien were alone again.

She would be lying if she’d said it wasn’t the most tense silence she’d ever had the displeasure of being a part of.

A quick glance told her that Adrien was studiously avoiding looking at her, too. His cheeks were tinged with pink again, though, and it was really sort of endearing. She let her eyes wander down to his lips, thinking about where they had been only a little over an hour ago, and —

He’d turned his head back to look at her before she had time to realize it.

She refused to be embarrassed about getting caught staring, no matter what the rising heat in her cheeks said about the situation.

“So…” 

A corner of her mouth lifted in a small smile. “So.”

They’d done it. They’d become a cliché.

Adrien lifted an arm to rub the back of his neck. Their weeks together told her he was nervous.

“I guess I’ll just say this, in the spirit of honesty.”

Here it was. He was going to tell her she was an awful kisser.

He was going to tell Alya and Nino about their ruse. 

He was going to make a public call-out post on his Instagram about —

“I definitely wouldn’t mind a repeat of that, if you were willing. Minus getting walked in on.”

Wait.

What?

“...I’m definitely willing.”

She caught the flash of a smile from him before he controlled it again.

“So, like… Fake dating with benefits?”

“This has  _ got _ to be a first,” she giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks to [TOG84 ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TOG84/pseuds/TOG84)for giving this a read-through! my dumbass decided to take a three-week break from this halfway in. because that makes sense.
> 
> not that i have an update schedule for this at all, but i'll be taking a small break from this in order to work on some Christmas stuff. 'tis the season, and all. something productive i did do was get the rest of this fic outlined, though, so i at least have a solid idea of where this is going. expect a few chapters of solid steam at the same time everything starts going to hell in a handbasket :D it'll be fun, i promise.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [Tumblr](https://www.etoilesjaunes.tumblr.com) for more! <3


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